Only one of Vale of Lune’s senior sides were in action with the second team winning their important fixture at Bramhall to haul them clear of the relegation zone and to establish a buffer of six and ten points against the two clubs below them, Stockport and Rochdale respectively.
The victory ended a two game losing sequence for the Vale but with two home games against Wilmslow and Rochdale looming the Vale have created valuable breathing space as they enter part two of their conference season.
Despite a surfeit of players available because of postponed games and even though it was a designated weather Saturday for the first team, the seconds travelled with only seventeen players, seven having been recruited from Lancaster University.
Vale faced a strong Stockport side, a much different outfit from the one they defeated at Powderhouse Lane, 46-5, in January. In the first half Stockport had the wind and slope in their favour and compressed the Vale deep in their own half as the visitors struggled initially in the sets but a rearrangement of the front row quickly solved the problem.
After absorbed the initial thrust from the home side the Vale, courtesy of their forwards, mauled their way out if the danger zone but perhaps their sense of adventure, by trying to add width to their game, only caused problems when the ball was dropped and they were sent scurrying back towards their own twenty two in double quick time.
Eventually Stockport’s pressure told and in the twentieth minute their number nine darted over for a converted try. Unfortunately for the Vale they appeared to have got on the wrong side of the referee from the opening few minute and when prop Matt Dennis came on as a replacement in the twenty fourth minute he only sampled a minute of the action before being shown a yellow card for back chatting.
When the Vale played it simple and used the mobility of their forwards they made progress up the incline and forced Stockport to retreat. In the thirty fourth minute the Vale forced Stockport to concede a penalty. The ball was despatched into touch and from the line out the forwards rampaged towards the goal line with a series of close passing rumbles which ended with prop Taylor Matthew smuggling he way over for a try converted by Chris Ramwell.
In the thirty eighth minute Hooker Richard Hodgson was the next player to acquaint himself with the naughty step and from the resultant penalty Stockport closed the second half with a three point lead.
With the conditions in their favour the Vale did not use them to their maximum, preferring to run the ball at every opportunity rather than give it a good old fashioned hoof downfield.
However, a well directed punt from Chris Ramwell helped to set up Vale’s second try in the sixty fourth minute. The ball was swiftly transferred cross field to Vale’s winger, Maxine Chevot, who possesses explosive pace; his electrifying burst and his ability to break tackles ended with a try behind the posts but unfortunately Chris Ramwell’s conversion was missed.
Holding onto a tenuous lead the Vale dug deep to thwart a number of dangerous Stockport attacks as the penalty count against them began to creep up to alarming proportions. Stockport appeared more intent on looking for five pointers so a number of kicks at goal were turned down much to the Vale’s relief.
The closing minutes stretched the nerves but the Vale remained composed to secure a praiseworthy victory full of good honest graft in which all played their part, in particular the back row of Bernardo Benshimol, Isaac Turton and Bobby Holdbrook, Isaac Turton being subsequently named man of the match.
There were also significant contributions from Harry Fellows and Tom Cvijanovic in a hard working pack. In the backs scrum half Pepe de La Sieara worked hard, Andy Powers again showed what a utility player he is, alternating between stand-off and centre but the biggest fillip to the seconds was the return of skipper Scott Manning at full back, who led by example throughout and helped to guide his troops to a hard earned, deserved victory.