McGee: Wharfedale are up for their survival fight as they snatch two bonus points

WHARFEDALE played well at the start and the end of this Roses clash but the middle 40 minutes proved costly in terms of collecting what would have been only their fourth league win of the season.

Leading 12-0 after 17 minutes via tries by winger Ollie Fewtrell and No 8 Rob Baldwin, the Greens needed late tries by scrum half Phil Woodhead (67 minutes) and replacement flanker Dan Solomi (80 minutes) to rescue both a losing bonus point and a four-try bonus point.

However, they were not enough to stop the Dalesmen from dropping a place to second from bottom as Henley leap-frogged them with a 27-13 home victory over Cinderford, who are now bottom.

Only four points now cover the four clubs at the basement ahead of the festive break.

Fylde defended well, supported each other well, had a classy kicker in Chris Johnson and cashed in when their pack were given a sniff of the home line but it was hard not to feel sorry at times for the hosts.

Too often they seemed to fall foul of referee John Meredith, with Wharfedale coach Tom McGee saying: "We were penalised once and got a yellow card and they (Fylde) were penalised five times and received no yellow cards.

"But we targeted five points from the matches against Hull Ionians (won 16-15 away from home nine days ago) and Fylde and ended up with six.

"It was a tough game against Fylde but a good game, and both teams defended really well, and there were not a lot of line breaks.

"We lost a couple of line-outs in key positions, which could have been game changers, but I am up for the fight in terms of the rest of the season, and so are all of the players."

Wharfedale played up the slope first, and took advantage of confusion in the visitors' midfield to score a try in the fifth minute, a loose ball being hacked on twice by powerful centre Cameron Hudson and once more carefully by Fewtrell, who dived on it in the left corner.

The hosts then survived conceding three straight penalties, the first being a contentious one for a collapsed scrum, before they capitalised on a penalty of their own.

Guy kicked for the left-hand corner, and a line-out catch and drive put Baldwin over, Guy converting superbly from the touchline.

The latter added a 29th-minute penalty but that was their only other score of the first half as the Lancastrians scored close-in driving tries by flanker Mark Goodwin and prop Adam Lewis, former Huddersfield fly half Johnson converting both and adding a penalty as the visitors took a 20-15 interval lead.

Goodwin's try, however, was a reminder that these two clubs have previous in the sense that three players have been red-carded in their recent meetings, as there was a brawl both immediately prior to and after the score.

Fylde have brain as well as brawn, though, as they showed when Johnson chipped ahead for full back Jordan Dorrington to collect early in the second half.

Wharfedale then had full back Max Labasse yellow carded as the visitors mounted serious pressure in the hosts' right-hand corner, No 8 David Fairbrother going over for a try four minutes after the restart and Johnson converting.

With Hudson off receiving treatment for a gashed head after attempting a tackle, Will Bell coming on as a blood-bin replacement, Fylde scored their fourth and final try via right winger Anthony Bingham – a peach in terms of close-in handling and support play to extend their lead to 32-15 after 53 minutes.

The Greens needed some to happen quickly, and some home spectators questioned their decision to go for goal on the hour but Guy's successful penalty did reduce the lead to two converted tries.

Too often the play was in the wrong half of the field though as far as Wharfedale were concerned but they were given renewed hope when Woodhead – so lively at Ionians – touched down seven minutes later.

The home side were now sniffing two bonus points, and their chance came after a high tackle in the final minute, Solomi getting the score that brought those consolation points.