The seconds suffered the knock on effects of players either being unavailable or being moved into the first team but some of the problems were eased when the thirds were awarded a walkover against Leigh, a situation which allowed Team Manager, Tony Gilmour, to strengthen his squad ahead of kick off.
In addition Olly Cowey, Olly Dobson and Sam Velasce Hoare all returned and played an active role in the final game of the season. Thanks to the efforts of Alex Morrison, Joe Clarkson, Alex Cowey, Matt Shaw and Nathan Manning the seconds were very much in contention until changes to their formation transferred the initiative to a Lymm side that shuttled their way to victory and a second place in Conference B.
Vale opened the scoring in the tenth minute when from their first attack Alex Morrison worked a bit of his special magic at the base of a scrum for a well taken try converted by Ryan Busby.
Ted Mossop pulled off a vital try saving tackle before Lymm levelled the scores with a converted try in the eighteenth minute. A hard working Vale side regained the lead three minutes later with a thrilling score. Scott Manning made a typical powerful break; Ryan Busby appeared on his elbow to take his pass and race over for a try which he converted.
Nathan Manning’s elusive running culminated in a try converted by Ryan Busby to give the Vale a deserved lead which was reduced to eleven points before half time following a Lymm penalty goal.
An injury to scrum half James Alker caused a re-jigging of the back division and with some players being replaced the momentum dipped in Vale’s game in particular when Alex Cowey departed the scene. The game gradually developed into a test of fitness which suited the visitors.
Lymm made a determined opening to the second half when their number seven went over for a converted try in the forty third minute and a penalty goal just before the hour mark brought them within one point of Vale’s total.
Opportunities to collect another score for the Vale were rather limited but they did manage to put Lymm under pressure. From one such situation ted Mossop charged down a kick to gather the ball for an opportunist try in the sixty fifth minute.
As Vale’s pace began to drop Lymm probed and started to find gaps. A penalty goal in the sixty eighth minute was followed by an unconverted try in the seventy fifth minute and with the Vale hanging on the Cheshire side sealed victory with a late penalty goal.
Overall it has been a testing season for the seconds, in particular in the opening months but the players have shown great character and when they moved into the conference format they produced some memorable and rewarding performances.