Goole 18 - 15 Pocklington
After being positive
and clinical against a top side the previous week, Pocklington let their standards
slip at lowly Goole where they gave a lack-lustre display. They dominated the
first half and had the chances to put the game to bed, but then Goole dug deep
to turn the tables in the second period, and even when Pocklington regained the
lead with just five minutes to go they were unable to hold out and a series of
errors enabled Goole to grab a late winner.
However, Yara Phosyn sponsored
Pocklington made an enterprising start. In the second minute they turned over
possession and fly half Joe Holbrough kicked to the unguarded right flank where
fullback Steve Shephard made a long chase, but the home cover just managed to
get back and beat him to the touchdown by a finger tip.
Though Goole opened
the scoring with an offside penalty with their first raid, Pocklington continued
to do all the attacking. The Pock pack took a couple of scrums against the head
while Mark Biggin nicked a number of home lineouts, and Pocklington back and forward
attacks were stopped just short before they took the lead with a peach of a try
on the quarter hour. It was started when teenage wing Jack Holbrough took a Goole
clearance on the left, Shephard, Nick Bennett and Joe Holbrough all offloaded
and supported well down the touchline and Shephard took the final pass to go under
the posts, Bennett converting.
Matt Atkinson led a 40 yard forward charge from
the kick off to take Pocklington straight back on the offensive and they spent
the next 20 minutes camped in home territory. But they failed to take their chances,
twice ignoring an overlap and also choosing to run a kickable penalty, before
Bennett finally extended the lead with a straightforward penalty.
Pocklington
lost scrum half Ben Rees at the interval with a rib injury, however, lock Ed Bean
raised Pocklington's expectations with a long gallop up the middle at the start
of the second period. But Pocklington went downhill from there on, with ill-directed
kicking, slow ball and hesitant rucking all contributing to their decline. Meanwhile
Goole's do or die attitude - they went into the game knowing that a defeat would
put them right into the relegation mire - gave them the initiative and they were
soon boosted by a second penalty success which hit the post and went over.
Goole
then snatched the lead when they got the ball away from another messy ruck on
halfway and a home centre ran a good angle to sprint 50 yards to the corner, the
conversion going over from the touchline.
Pocklington belatedly roused themselves
with the backs making a dangerous raid and their forwards starting to put pressure
on the Goole scrummage. Pocklington saw a penalty chance go wide, but another
strong scrum created the position for Jack Holbrough, Pocklington's man of the
match for his enterprising debut, to come in to dummy half and go for the line.
He was held five yards short but replacement prop Chris Morton linked well and
Atkinson plunged over.
At 15-13 up with five minutes to go Pocklington should
have been able to close out the game. But they ran themselves into trouble from
the kick off, then kicked the ball straight to Goole who threw it right and squeezed
over in the corner.
Pocklington still had one last chance to win it when they
were given a last minute penalty. They opted to go for the corner and the try,
only to sum up their day by kicking the ball dead and leave Goole relieved and
jubilant with the league points.