Fylde RFC 17 Leeds Tykes 22: Fylde fall just short of passing Tykes test

Fylde went into the game under no illusion that keeping the Woodlands as an unbeaten fortress would be tough – but not impossible.

They had the perfect start when, after pressure from the kick-off, they gained possession and built phases inside the Leeds 22.

Moments later, the ball landed in the hands of David Fairbrother who dived over for his first try of the season in only the second minute.

Patrick Bishop’s conversion made it 7-0 but, despite that early setback, Leeds proved how strong they were.

Ten minutes of constant pressure in the Fylde half eventually saw Matt Garrod shown yellow after a build-up of penalties.

The Tykes continued that pressure and eventually got on the scoreboard, when referee Jack Moorhouse awarded a penalty try in the corner.

It also meant another Fylde player had to join Fairbrother in the sinbin, Pete Altham the man in question.

Leeds then capitalised on their two-man advantage when a maul, formed from a lineout, rolled over the line with Aarin Yorke scoring.

Their attempted conversion was missed, which gave Fylde a glimmer of hope, but there was much work to do.

The remainder of the first 40 was a rather cagey affair, in which neither side had any clear chances or constant possession, as half-time arrived with Leeds 12-7 in front.

Fylde began the second half as they did the first, applying some early pressure.

That culminated five minutes in as Mike Walton broke through the middle of the defence and scored beneath the posts, Bishop adding the conversion to put Fylde 14-12 ahead.

Fylde almost extended that advantage when a string of clever passes set Jordan Dorrington flying towards the visitors’ line, only for the referee to bring play back.

However, after Leeds applied pressure of their own, Fairbrother saw Fylde’s third yellow card on the hour before the Tykes scored moments later.

A scrum maul, which was almost impossible to prevent without the presence of a number eight at the back, saw Edward Brown score an unconverted try.

Trailing 17-14, Fylde fell further behind as Pete Lucock scored in the corner with a little more than five minutes left to play.

Another missed conversion meant the gap was closer than it might have been but Fylde still faced a tricky task to secure a result.

They threw absolutely everything at the time remaining in order to salvage a result, starting with a Bishop penalty to move them within five points.

With a converted try enough to win the game, the perfect opportunity came through a lineout in the Leeds 22.

However, a wonky throw meant Fylde squandered that opportunity before they immediately won back the ball and had a second attempt.

That subsequent lineout drive was held up by the visitors, who secured victory despite the best efforts of a Fylde team who could feel they might have taken the win on another day.

Fylde RFC: Reader, Turner, Stott, Clayton, Dorrington, Bishop, Gould, Bowker, Davis, Altham, Walton, Garrod, Quinn, Harrison, Fairbrother. Replacements: King, Williamson, Morgan, Smith, Forster.

Leeds Tykes: Davies, Jukes, Venables, Dixon, Chitiyo, Lucock, Laughton, Williams, Yorke, Cordice, Brady, Bell, Smith, Teague, Brown. Replacements: Pleasants, Hough, Walker, Taylor-Smith, Keith.