A gritty Aireborough affair

The boys travelled away to bottom of the league Aireborough at the weekend to play a rearranged fixture and hopefully keep up the pace at the top and cash in on this game in hand. It was a poor start from both teams really with scrappy phases of play and handling errors strewn about. Out of the two teams Aireborough started the brighter and looked like a team fighting for their lives whilst Knottla looked a little flat. Aire were managing to make a nuisance of themselves at the breakdown and subsequently ruin a lot of Knottingley ball making it harder to create any platform to play off initially. However, one thing that has never wavered throughout the season is Knottingley’s stern, resolute defence and barring the kitchen sink I think everything Aireborough had was thrown at the Knottla wall, but to no avail. The likes of Jim Mattin, Ryan Eades, Callum Slatter and Jonny Clark were leading from the front with some big hits in defence, repelling Aireborough’s best efforts. After the opening period of sustained pressure Knottingley began to grow in to the game and it wasn’t till the last 10 minutes that the first points came after a well worked backs move through the hands of Jones and Danny Glassell resulted in Ryan Eades putting young Joe Winstanley over for the opening score out wide, conversion missed 0-5. You know what they say about buses well it’s the same with tries, after waiting nearly a full half Knottla got their second score soon after their first with nimble 9 Benny Tucker sniping through the defence from scrum half, very similar to his effort last week, he converted his own try 0-12 and that’s how the scores finished at the half, not the best but in front! After a few words at half time the lads started a bit brighter in the second half and began to threaten Aire’s defence out wide with the likes of Gino Burnett, Mark Tiffin and Danny Glassell making good inroads. The forwards were beginning to secure good ball for the backs to use and when the ball made its way wide to Welsh international winger Jamie Liversidge he put the back burners on before passing inside to a supporting Adam Jones who dotted down, kick missed 17-0. It was beginning to look like all one-way traffic barring some usual Knottla ill-discipline every now and then as the forwards began to dominate their opposing numbers, Jack Middleton, Carl Dickinson, Daron Walker and Des Wilson all put good shifts in. The all important bonus point try came not long after with Adam Jones at the centre of things again breaking through a few would be tacklers to pass to Glassell who then gave it back for a walk in under the sticks, Glassell nudged over the conversion gracefully to make it 0-24. A gut-wrenching moment in the game was seeing Baz Leadbitter inches from scoring but he couldn’t collect the ball from around his ankles and a try went begging and a certain pitch invasion was avoided, you’ll have to wait another 4 more years now Baz. In fairness to Aireborough they kept coming at the Knottingley line and after repeat scrums in the danger zone it looked for all manner of things to result in an Aire score, but a great try saving tackle from Eades kept the hosts scoreless for a while longer. One final try was to come and oh what a try it was, none other than Captain Dale Ferguson picked up from the base of a scrum near his own 22 and ran down the blindside dummying his way through the first few tackles, he then galloped across field beating some more outstretched arms and went nearly the length of the field to score a superb solo effort in the far corner, conversion missed 0-29 and that’s how it finished! A bonus point win away from home is exactly what was needed, good result worms!