They may have only trailed 14 – 21 at the interval, but that was more a case of hanging on than anything else as Pontefract dominated and might have scored a couple of more tries than the three that gave them their lead.

Prompted by some fine positional kicking by stand-off Glenn Boyd, Pontefract took control from the start launching attacks which yielded their first try in the 7th minute when they robbed a City lineout 5 metres out and moved the ball wide for winger Simon Spears to skate round the City cover to score in the corner. Centre Nick Dykes converted and they might have stretched the lead 10 minutes later after centre Andy Dean had broken up the middle only for winger Shane Simpson to touch the corner flag as he went over in the corner.

Missed tackles, poor defensive kicking and handling and a lineout that wasn’t functioning were costing City dearly, but on a rare visit to the Pontefract 22 after 23 minutes, they were suddenly level at 7 – 7 when flanker Jeff Roberts, who had a fine game all round, got the touchdown under the posts having harassed the home defence into an error from a scrum near their line.

Stand-off Alistair Blair converted, but a couple of minutes later Pontefract restored their advantage, a poor clearance kick and missed tackles allowing them to run the ball back at City and Boyd to go 30 metres down the touchline to score for Dykes to convert.

A chip over the City defence by Boyd saw full-back Michael Bateman gather and go over for their third try which Dykes again converted for a 21 – 7 lead, but towards the end of the half, City stared to get a bit of coherence and in the 36 minute after a couple of good attacks, full-back Rob Smith went over for their second try following a scrum near the line and Blair converted to keep them in the game at 21 – 14.

2 minutes into the second period, it was all-square, big city pressure from the kick-off producing their third try when Roberts got the touchdown from a 5 metre catch and driven lineout and Blair converted.

Now they came much more into the game and it was the home side’s turn to defend as City piled on the pressure. A break by Roberts might have produced more, a huge rolling maul from a lineout 12 metres out should have ended with a try but for the referee’s intervention with the line at their mercy and Smith and winger Adam Morton combined well only to be stopped a few metres short.

But the score wouldn’t come and when Dean forced his way over from an attack near the City line and Dykes converted to recover the lead for Pontefract, City were unable respond despite mounting big pressure in the final minutes.

On Easter Saturday, City entertain Wheatley Hills at Hollow Drift in the penultimate league match of the season (KO 3.00pm).
CITY: Rob Smith; Chris Metcalfe, Will Kirtley, Richard Knowles (capt.), Adam Morton; Alistair Blair, Thomas Howard; Kenny Reader, Matt Young, Josh Brown, Peter Dent, Alex Whitfield, Howard Johnson, Jeff Roberts, Darren McKinnon

Replacements: Mark Cammiss, Tom Hand, Peter Van Loo.