Vale travelled to Blundellsands with a squad that included four debutants and they all made a significant contribution in a testing encounter.
Colt Ciaran Sutcliffe at lock had an outstanding game, not only being a dominant force at line out time but a real handful in the loose with his terrier like approach at hunting down both man and ball. Fourth team skipper, Paul Scott, played with his usual commitment, while another of his comrade in arms, prop Paul Robert Peters, played himself to a standstill at the end of a full eighty minute plus shift. At one stage Paul found himself in the position of being the last man in defence when the ball came flying in his direction. He was unable to take a much needed breather but he solidly held his ground until help arrived to clear the danger. Andrew Waite stepped up a level with confidence and produced a most resolute performance. This quartet, who ignored the lure of the Six Nations, deserves a huge vote of thanks because they were only too willing and eager to ensure that the seconds did not travel without a full complement of players.
Being able to field a settled side has haunted the seconds all season and if the players who have been loaned to them by the opposition are factored into the equation then an eye watering 74 individuals have donned the cherry and white so far; no wonder their season has been so inconsistent.
Firwood Waterloo made all the early running and pinned the Vale in their own half for long periods but defence held firm until the twelfth minute when one of the homes side’s centres burst through for an unconverted try.
Vale’s efforts in defence were rewarded in the nineteenth minute with a splendid try. Joe Wallbank, who was a powerful presence throughout drove through the heart of Firwood Waterloo’s defence to set up a try for prop Joe Stevens which Alex Briggs converted, the number ten had been off target with an earlier penalty.
Just as the seconds appeared to be coming to terms with the opposition they suffered a couple of setbacks in the twenty seventh and twenty ninth minutes respectively to leave them trailing at half time, 19-7.
First Firwood Waterloo were awarded a penalty try following a high tackle from Ethan Robertson which unfortunately saw the centre yellow carded. Then, almost before he had taken his place on the naughty step, skipper Scott Manning had a kick charged down which gifted the hosts a converted try.
When Lee Starkey was shown a yellow card in the fifty first minute and once again Firwood Waterloo took advantage of having an extra player to post a converted try in the fifty second minute following a powerful forward surge.
In the fifty fifth minute Kyel Dempsey sprinted down the blind side and despite being hemmed in he managed to touch down for a first class unconverted try. Suddenly the seconds began to play with single minded passion and had Firwood Waterloo on the back foot.
Full back Scott Manning intercepted a pass in his own half to sprint clear for a spirit lifting try from the skipper which Alex Briggs converted in the fifty seventh minute to bring the seconds into bonus territory. A Firwood Waterloo penalty in the sixty third minute settled the nerves but the seconds continued to probe and if they had fully appraised some of the opportunities that came their way they might have caught their opponent’s cold.
Alex Briggs kicked a penalty in the seventy seventh minute and with Vale’s disciplined pack in control victory looked within their grasp but they were unable to engineer any clear cut openings. The result was put beyond doubt when Firwood Waterloo put over a penalty with the clock in the red band.
An interesting law interpretation was evoked during the course of the game when because so many Gilbert match balls had been despatched over the stand and were not returned, the referee instructed Alex Briggs to roll the ball into touch from a penalty on the stand side of the pitch. Tom Brown’s schooldays come to mind!
Pictures provided by Fred Swarbrick, many thanks for that.