Fylde RFC 19 Tynedale 24: Visitors leave with a narrow victory
A tight game in National Two North ended with defeat for Fylde against Tynedale at the Woodlands last weekend.
Fylde began the match well, controlling possession in the opening five minutes.
That patience was rewarded when they reached the 22 before an awesome offload and a cleverly-run line saw Corey Bowker go clean through the defensive wall.
Danny Cassidy converted, giving Fylde the start they needed, but it would be the only time they led in the game.
The next 30 minutes proved extremely difficult as Tynedale’s scrum was utterly dominant in the first half, causing Fylde serious problems.
A scrummage wide out on 10 minutes brought a transition straight off the training ground, with the ball being quickly shifted across the pitch to Joe Tully.
He was free to cross the line on the right-hand side before Cameron Grant’s conversion levelled the scores at 7-7.
Ten minutes later, multiple penalties ended with a final scrum which proved powerful enough for referee Daniel Woods to award a penalty try.
Bowker was also sinbinned, making a bad situation worse for Fylde.
Olly Trippier was brought on to fill the gap in the scrum, which immediately steadied Fylde’s scrummaging.
Despite that stronger push, it was another scrum which gave Tynedale their third try of the day.
Although Fylde’s scrum was strong, a quick offload found gaps on the blindside for winger Seamus Hutton to score and increase Tynedale’s lead to 12 points.
Things were looking tough for Fylde until a glimmer of hope in the final five minutes of the first half.
Tynedale conceded a series of penalties, enabling Fylde to push further up the pitch before the visitors saw Ben Haigh given a card.
That man advantage helped Mike Walton to burst through the defensive line and provide a smart pass for Ben Turner, who squeezed over in the corner and left Fylde only a converted try away as they trailed 19-12 at half-time.
Fylde had a point to prove in the second half as it briefly looked like the game could be turned around.
Tynedale had the ball on halfway and attempted some quick passes to beat the rushing defensive line and get the ball wide.
However, they were stopped in their tracks when Will Hunt shot forward to intercept and bolt 60 metres to score between the posts.
It meant Fylde were back on terms at 19-19 but, with 25 minutes remaining, Tynedale scored the final try of the game.
A well-executed lineout maul ended with Haigh going over for what turned out to be the winning score.
The game was agonisingly tight from that point onwards, with neither side seeming to hold the ball for longer than a handful of phases.
Fylde came close to scoring again with 10 minutes to go as it looked like they had gone over in the right-hand corner.
Nevertheless, the cheers of the Woodlands crowd were silenced quickly as the referee had spotted a knock-on which denied Fylde a dramatic winner.
Fylde RFC: Cassidy, Turner, Clayton, Stott, Lanigan, Hunt, Maguire; Bowker, Sutcliffe, Rudkin, B Walton, Greenwood, M Walton, Quinn, Fairbrother. Replacements: Trippier, Railton, Horan, Forster, Macauley.
Tynedale: Grant, Tully, Beaty, Miller, Hutton, Leslie, Telford; Turnill, Haigh, Caudle, Henning, Dunn, Hall-Lyon, Rattray, Richards. Replacements: Chaplin, Hughes, Nankivell, Turnbull, Rodgers.