Winter Woes

The Wolves only had themselves to blame for having to share the proceeds of this New Year game with a resurgent Broughton Park side. They had ample decent first phase possession of the ball throughout and really should have made more of the opportunities that this created.

Even when Park were reduced to fourteen players, their No. 10 Oliver Lancaster being red carded for dissent, for much of the last quarter, the Wolves couldn’t make their numerical advantage count and at the end it was Park, who had laid siege to the Wilmslow line and only desperate defence prevented them from snatching the winning score.

For whatever reasons though, the Wolves passing was just sloppy and inaccurate, their handling careless and they had to settle for two tries from Ben Day and Lawrence James with a single conversion from Bob MacCallum, now happily restored to fitness after a seven week absence.

Afterwards Wilmslow coach Rick Jones admitted to some frustration with the way his side had performed. ‘There’s so much right about this squad, he said. The necessary desire, work rate, endeavour and commitment is all there, they do a lot of good things out on the pitch but they won’t win matches if they don’t look after the ball better than they do and cut out the mistakes and wrong options which are costing them so dear. We needed four points today so having to settle for two is disappointing and it’s just making things unnecessarily difficult for ourselves.’ It’s a fact that the ball just won’t fly through the cold heavy moisture laden air of early January as it will in the dryer atmospheric conditions of autumn or spring so it requires a certain tactical nous to adapt to these conditions and to avoid flinging out long passes which just drop dead well short of the intended recipient, who also has to remember to keep his eye on a slippery slow ball just a fraction longer.

Broughton Park for their part had arrived at The Memorial Ground on a run of three successive wins, two away from home. They have been able to strengthen their side with a selection of young players, as a result of their coaching involvement at Manchester University, which is clearly paying dividends. In comparison to Wilmslow, who at present can only put out three sides on a Saturday afternoon, Park can now raise five regularly. Even with a number of their first choice students still away for the holiday period, they had sufficient reserves to call up, Ronan O’Brien for example, without much affecting their overall strength. They knew they were in with a good chance.

Wilmslow were first on the attack from the kick off. They looked keen and eager but several promising positions were lost due to a lack of control and handling errors. When the ball was again lost in midfield, Park were able to counter attack with men spare on their right. The defence got back but Park recycled quickly to the left and then back again, where they had the numbers to put centre Johnny Thomas in for their first try. It had been well worked and a warning to the Wolves that any careless play would be punished.

Notwithstanding, the Wolves came again and had Park defending deeply. A series of attacks were kept out but when Park were penalised on their own line on the quarter hour MacCallum was unable to reduce the deficit. ‘He still needs to get the dust off his boots’ was the comment from one touchline wag. A charge down of a Park clearance then set up a good scrum position for the Wolves which was lost when they were penalised.

It was now Park’s turn to attack when they pilfered a lineout on the Wilmslow throw. Wilmslow centre Richard Hughes got himself yellow carded for a dangerous tackle, MacCallum, still getting the dust off his boots it seemed, put a clearing kick straight into the arms of Park’s dangerous left winger Blake Mahovic and Park forced a five yard scrum, which was defended well by the Wolves.

On Wilmslow’s next foray, Park’s Lancaster was rightly yellow carded for a deliberate knock on but from the ensuing play the Wolves got themselves turned over five yards out. Never mind, on the stroke of half time Mike Clifford stole a lineout in midfield, Lawrence James came off his right wing to join the line with a powerful surge and then off loaded to Ben Day on his shoulder, who was able to canter in for the equalising score which MacCallum converted.

The slender lead was not to last long. A decent enough long clearing hoof from MacCallum early in the second period was taken by Park’s O’Brien, who seeing space on the left passed into midfield and the ball made its way to the unmarked Mahovic, who just lit his after burners for a sixty yard scorch down the left wing and a try under the posts.

The Wolves still had it all to do and they had their chances but their passing and handling just wouldn’t improve. Eventually with fifteen minutes still left, they produced a move which in many respects was a carbon copy of the one which had earned them their first try. Quick ball from the top of the lineout made its way left across the field. James came in off his wing and this time had the gas to hold off the defence for the try, which tied things up again. You would really have expected the Wolves to now finish things off, their scrum was solid, they were in charge in the lineout and Park were down to fourteen but they still managed to butcher several clear openings with scrappy play. Park were then awarded three penalties in quick succession which enabled them to get into scoring territory. As time ran out, Mahovic scooped up a loose ball single handed and was somehow stopped in the act of scoring. The Wolves defence then held out but not without alarm until a Park player knocked on going for the line. The Wolves cleared and referee Turvey blew for no side.