Streetwise Vale Forwards Strike The Hammer Blows

Three times during the first half, the Wolves had been unable to prevent the Vale pack from capitalising on short range catch and drive opportunities. In response, the Wolves had at least the same number of similar lineout chances but despite the ball being consistently taken by the exemplary Mike Clifford, the Vale pack had been comfortably able to defend their line and to drive the Wolves backwards.

In the second half when Wilmslow had fought back to within two points, it was the Vale pack again who forced a scrum five yards out from which their No. 8 Dan Charnley was able to go over. The Wolves were now forced to chase the game but despite having their fair share of possession and seeing referee Anthony Bentham three times administer a yellow card to Vale players, at one stage having them down to thirteen players, they were unable to make much impression. In the last quarter, Vale centre Adam McLuskie scored from a long range breakout, when a Bob MacCallum touch finder failed to find its mark and in the penultimate act of the game full back Tom Carter kicked a last minute penalty. During the same period, the Wolves had managed only two Bob MacCallum penalties.

Vale were clear favourites from the outset having won all but one of their home games this season, many of them by substantial margins whilst the Wolves record away from home has been parlous to say the least. Their cause hadn’t been helped by the number of enforced changes in personnel. The veteran Rick Williams had been called up to bolster the back row, Mike Black was co-opted into the centre, there was a debut in the second row for young Adam Hewitt and the equally young Angus Crawford had a second run out on the right wing. Nevertheless, the feeling from the handful of supporters who had made the trip to the very hospitable Lancaster club was that for long periods the match had been winnable.

The Wolves had got off to the worst of starts, conceding two tries within the first ten minutes. For the first one, Vale prodded a penalty to within five metres, caught the ball, driven and then rolled in field for wing forward Danny Linn to get the touch down. From the restart, Vale attacked again and when the Wolves were penalised, the ball was put in to touch, this time on the left, from which they executed another simple catch and drive, which was finished off by prop James Hesketh. It had all been just too easy.

For most of the next thirty minutes though, Wilmslow had most of the possession and territory. MacCallum as always orchestrated some promising situations, there was some good positions created but the Vale defence was up to it and a fifteen minute MacCallum penalty was scant reward for the effort. As so often happens there was an isolated break out by the Vale from deep in their own half, which ended with second row Sam Wallbank touching down from the third catch and drive.

That could have been it but on the stroke of half time a wide flowing move from left to right saw flanker Hugo Corbett get a try to reduce the deficit. When early in the second period, winger Angus Crawford stretched his legs to stretch the Vale defence on the right and Mike Black was on hand to power through the middle and the ball made its way to Tom Raynor on the left for him to score, the game at 17-15 was anyone’s to win.

Vale scrum half Darren Wilson is a wily performer though and he was soon able to split the defence with a fine break which set up Vale’s fourth try. A MacCallum penalty followed but then disaster. Vale full back Carter took MacCallum’s long touch finder deep in his own half with plenty of space, the ball was then kicked ahead down the touchline and even though Ricky Chadwick looked to have the danger covered, it was the harassing McLuskie who got the score. A third MacCallum penalty got the Wolves back to 27-21 but thereafter the Vale nailed down the hatches and ran down the clock until Carter got the final hammer blow.

With other results going the way they did, the Wolves now drop back to tenth place just four points of the relegation zone. They have a game in hand over Leigh and Wirral just one point ahead of them but next up at the weekend it’s the champions elect Sandbach at the Memorial Ground followed the week after by second placed Liverpool St. Helens. It doesn’t get much tougher than that.