Injuries Mar Tight Game

For the home game against second placed Blaydon there were a number of changes to the side which started last week along with positional changes, this coupled with late changes to the team on Saturday afternoon due to work commitments and illness meant further changes in the hour before kick- off. The team was as follows: Forwards, Hughes, Ringer, Higginson, Lewis, Dalton, Parry, Reeve and Pearl. Backs-Crowley, Morley, Loon, Harvey C. Broadbent, Speed and Williams. Subs were Yarker, Long and Connolly.
Wirral played towards the road into the breeze. Blaydon started the stronger and the benefit of two penalties but Wirral survived aided by a clearance kick from DAVE MORLEY. Blaydon countered and only a good covering tackle by MATT DALTON prevented a score. A kick by the opposition downfield was cleared but it was deemed that the kick to touch was from outside the 20m area and from the resultant line out the ball was sped left and an overlap created for the left winger, Jack Appleton to score, the conversion was missed. 0-5 (11 mins). At this stage Blaydon were full of running and looking to overrun Wirral as they controlled the ball for long spells. Blaydon lost a player to the sin bin after 23 minutes.
Wirral were gradually working their way into the game and ground was made by DAVE MORLEY with a 40m break to take play into the Blaydon 20m area, after exercising pressure a delayed pass from CRAIG HARVEY to ROB PEARL gave the latter a clear 15m to the line and score under the posts, a conversion from CRAIG gave Wirral the lead 7-5 (31 mins). JACK YARKER replaced CHRIS HUGHES who had received an injury. Towards the end of the half, CHRIS CROWLEY made a break into opposition territory but again Wirral lost the ball when in a good position.
The score remained 7-5 at half-time in what had been an open game mainly brought about by the error count on both sides, a figure which astounded the coaches. Half time saw HAYDEN LONG on for PAUL LEWIS.
In the 3rd minute of the second half an attack started in the Wirral half was followed by a kick over the Wirral defence, which the home side did not defend properly, lost the ball and gave the Blaydon forward Lockwood the easy task of touching down and with the conversion , Blaydon led 7-12. Within 2 minutes Wirral were back level again when from the next concentrated play in the Blaydon 20m area, CRAIG HARVEY crossed in the corner but the conversion from him was missed. 12-12 (45 mins).
When Blaydon attacked we were giving them too much room and thus they were able to gain more ground than they should, which enabled them to then put pressure on the Wirral defence. With the benefit of the breeze Wirral were able to have the territorial advantage. There was a flurry of punches from the Blaydon No 8, which the referee did not see! Yet he gave the penalty to Wirral, if seen it would/should have been a red card. As a result from the penalty some 32m out and 10m in from touch CRAIG HARVEY converted to give Wirral a 15-12 lead after 58 minutes.
The final score of the day came with a good passing movement and backing up gave the Blaydon No 8 Borthwick an overlap to score close to the posts and the conversion a 15-19 lead after 69 minutes.
ROB PEARL in the meantime was off the field with a leg/knee injury and he was replaced by PAUL LEWIS. The situation re Rob will be assessed during the week when hopefully the swelling has gone down. JOSH CONNOLLY came on for DAVE MORLEY with CRAIG going to fly half. The final 10 minutes playing time was spent in and around the Blaydon 20m area although the game was not to finish for a further 30 minutes. Pressure was mounted on the Blaydon line but their defence held firm and in doing so were giving away many penalties as the Wirral forwards tried to force a way through. The ball went left but still no way through but an injury was incurred by CRAIG and there had been an injury to his back. Play was held up for 20 minutes as he was attended to and not moved, eventually he was stretched off. It was almost 3 hours before an ambulance came to take him to hospital for x-rays and scans, before he was allowed home at 3.00am with a diagnosis of severe bruising to the spinal area. DAVE MORLEY came on for CRAIG.
The game restarted and again Wirral put pressure on the Blaydon line and could not get that ball over the whitewash. Penalties were being given away by Blaydon and eventually the referee reached for a yellow card for the Blaydon centre, Clark in the 46th minute of actual play in this half. A final push from Wirral saw them over the line only for the referee to call that the ball was held up and thus the game was over.
This was another game that under different circumstances Wirral could have won and certainly the injuries to two key players did not help matters and in those final minutes with numerous penalties being awarded against Blaydon in the red zone (5m from the line) perhaps it warranted stronger action from the referee. Ironically the Wirral points were scored by the two players who were injured in that final 20 minutes of play.
Richard McNeil