FYLDE 19 SEDGLEY PARK 19: REP Fylde and Sedgley played 80 minutes of breath-taking rugby in a match that had everyone on the edge of their imaginary seats around The Woodlands from start to finish. The build-up to the match was quite simple, it was first in the league versus second, the home side the perfect nine from nine on their own soil, the visitors winning all 19 matches so far this season, someone’s 100% record, having to go. Unlike like last year where all that rain cast the match in doubt, it was perfect playing conditions, and a staring contest was developing between both sets of players almost, neither wanting to blink and lose their focus. The Tigers were seemingly just waiting to pounce and they were clinical on 31 minutes to take their next chance, when another strong
Sedgley were calm, composed and clinical to put themselves into a 12-0 lead, but then came the fightback from Fylde which completely rocked the Tigers and saw them go 19-12 up. They soon regained their balance to level it at 19-19, and three missed penalty goals later, which all brought absolute silence to the entire Lytham coast it seemed, that’s how it finished, as the points were shared. It was a tense atmosphere around the ground prior to kick-off, there was no calm before the storm. A clubhouse which was packed full of both sets of supporters showed how much the game meant to the sides, one of them looking for a repeat, the other out for revenge. Fylde controlled all of the possession in the opening 10 minutes, keeping the ball and settling into things while the Sedgley defence stood firm. A lapse in concentration at the line- out though saw the visitors react the quickest and give themselves a chance to turn the tables, and see what the home side were really made of. Their powerful forwards, which had given Fylde nightmares since that day last February where they walked away from the Lytham coast with a 38-0 victory, were starting to make them relive it all over again. Oscar Crowe eventually barged his way over to score after a sustained bombardment on the Fylde line, with Stephen Collins converting to make it 7-0.
driving maul saw hooker Danny Maher score his 14th try of the season. Collins missed the kick, leaving it at 12-0, but Fylde weren’t going to go away quietly, and came roaring back. On 37 minutes, Sam Stelmaszek was sin binned for a deliberate knock on, and the hosts took advantage, sucking the visitors into the middle, and moving the ball out-wide quickly to David Fairbrother who crashed over to score on his 150th appearance for the club. Smith converted to bring it to 12-7 to Sedgley at half- time. That try before the break seemed to have given Fylde the confidence boost they needed, and a slick passing move out to the left put Tom Grimes in at the corner to level things up. They then went ahead for the first time in the match a
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