Mistakes in blustery conditions cost Stafford u15's

On a sunny but blustery Sunday morning Stafford made the away to Walsall for the 2nd time this season. On the previous fixture both teams were evenly matched and so it proved again this time.

The first half saw Walsall come out of the blocks quickly with some dynamic runs from their No8 and No10 and they opening the score with an unconverted try in the Stafford left corner. After that Stafford started to get into their stride and some determined tackling from Walsall kept Stafford at bay from several positions close to the try line. But with time in the first half running out a determined dive for the line through several tacklers by Gurman Seehra saw Stafford deservedly pull level, with the half time score being 5 – 5.

Stafford were playing into the blustery wind in the 2nd half but were able to score first from a flowing team try that saw the forward secure position just outside the Walsall 22 and then a flowing backs move saw winger George Stevenson score in the left hand corner. Then the wind picked up and Walsall were able to kick the ball very deep into the Stafford half, some confusion at full back saw Walsall gather the loose ball and score a try to level the game. Then a couple more mistakes from balls kicked through by Walsall saw them score two more converted tries. However, with 7 minutes left in the match Stafford upped their game and came roaring back at Walsall. A break from his own half by Billy Jones lead to a try in the right hand corner by Max Jones. Then from the resulting re-start Stafford attacked Walsall again with runs from Dylan Wilde and Archie Bent. Walsall tried to clear their lines following a knock on from Stafford but this only resulted in Stafford flying back at Walsall once more, with Jack Taylor-Holiday deservedly scoring Stafford’s final try of a thrilling match in the right hand corner. The final score saw Walsall scrape home for the win 24 – 20.

This was a match that Stafford should have won and only lost because of a couple of mistakes at the back following speculative kicks from Walsall in the blustery conditions (and the dropped ball in the act of scoring from Colton but we won’t mention that). The effort and team spirt displayed by the Stafford lads was outstanding and built on the 2nd half of the Trentham match the week before. The coaching team and parents were full of praise for the way Stafford u15’s played both in attack and defence and this showed in the way they came back from 24 – 10 down with 7 minutes to play. The team spirit is excellent and it obvious that the lads are working for each other and enjoying playing together. Keep it up lads

Mark