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Fylde claim prize scalp
Fylde 23, Caldy 22 FYLDE had the edge over the longtime league leaders on the scoreboard and in terms of their overall performance, thrilling the Woodlands crowd but also serving up a frustrating reminder of what might have been this season.
They have proved themselves a match for the best in National Three North, but too many dropped points on their travels mean the real beneficiaries of this result are likely to be Nuneaton, who top the table by a point with two games in hand.
But take nothing0away from Fylde, who kept Caldy try-less for 79 minutes, and played over three-quarters of the game without their injured fly-half and only recognised goalkicker Steve Nutt. Centre Albinson stepped up to the plate to succeed with all his four goal attempts.
Never behind at any stage, Fylde took the lead on 14 minutes and held on to it through thick and thin, even though Caldy cut the arrears to a single point on four separate occasions.
Battling Fylde just about deserved their slender 10-9 half-time lead, having scored the only try of the half, though Caldy wasted several chances to cross the whitewash themselves.
Fylde competed manfully in the set plays and made the brighter start, showing willingness to move the ball across their backline even deep in their own territory.
An alert chip and chase by scrum-half Craig Aikman was rewarded with a ninth-minute penalty which his half-back partner Steve Nutt drove wide.
But five minutes later Fylde took the lead when Caldy flanker Josiah Dickinson's stray pass was gobbled up by Oliver Brennand, who raced 40 metres between the sticks, without a hand getting anywhere near him.
It was the first of several mistakes Caldy made on attack down their right side and for which Fylde were grateful, no-one more so than winger Brennand, whose 18th try this was in 19 starts this season.
Nutt added the goal but was forced to trudge out of the action on 18 minutes with a rib injury. Fylde were again thankful for Richard Kenyon's decision to postpone his retirement as the veteran plugged the gap at fly-half.
No sooner had Nutt departed than Caldy full-back Mark Turner outpaced the Fylde defence on a crossfield run and broke clear only for his pass to centre Gavin Roberts to be ruled forward when a try looked a certainty. Roberts' penalty on 20 minutes when scant consolation.
Another spell of pressure again failed to produce a try for the visitors, though it took a try-saving tackle on his line by Fylde full-back Martin Wallwork to deny Roberts once more on 28 minutes. Again Caldy had to settle for a penalty, Roberts duly reducing the deficit to 7-6.
Fylde's goalkicking problem in the absence of Nutt was highlighted three minutes later, when Kenyon's 40-metre effort barely reached head height and dropped well short.
It was Fylde's third goalkicker of the afternoon, centre Albinson, who booted Fylde further in front with a penalty after a short lineout throw by Alan Holmes to Roger Banks had resulted in a quick break by the home skipper.
Fylde came within seconds of holding their 10-6 lead until the interval but Roberts' third penalty again narrowed the gap with the last kick of the half.
It was the home side who were first to threaten after the restart, Mark Stephenson going close with the first of several strong breaks from a scrum only to lose possession in the tackle.
But Fylde continued to hold the territorial advantage and a second Albinson penalty, only slightly trickier than his first, extended the lead to 13-9.
And a third Albinson goal moved Fylde seven ahead going into the final quarter. It followed a scrum win against the head, from which crisp passing saw Brennand break down the left. Wallwork continued the attack, and although Caldy eventually intercepted the offside decision went Fylde's way.
Coach Mark Nelson was furious at a needlessly conceded penalty on 63 minutes, from which Roberts maintained his unblemished kicking record and made it 16-12.
The gap was again cut to one point going into the final 10 minutes, when Fylde were also reduced to 14 men by the sin-binning of Oliver Wilks.
But instead of playing safety first with their one-man disadvantage, Fylde pressed for a match-clinching try and were rewarded on 76 minutes.
Another break by the outstanding Stephenson led to the five-pointer, finished off by replacement Dan Palmer to the left of the posts.
Albinson continued to look as though he kicks goals every Saturday and put Fylde two scores clear for the first time at 23-15.
Perhaps that cushion caused Fylde to switch off three minutes later, when winger Andrew Soutar raced through a massive gap to breach their defence for the only time, Roberts making it six out of six with the boot.
The excitement was not over and continued until the final seconds of the five added minutes, when Caldy replacement Simon Pennington knocked on as an inviting gap opened up in front of him.
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Weather for Blackpool
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 32 mph
Wind direction: West
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Cloudy
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