Match Report: PARFC 19 - 18 Moseley (C'ship)

In the last 10 minutes of this crucial game it became a classic nail-biter. This was especially so with just a minute or two left at the end of the game. Moseley had a potential game winning penalty on our 10 metre line, but it dropped under the bar. Not long afterwards, Albion were awarded a penalty and they were able to hoof the ball off the pitch, the referee having said time was up. Joy was unconfined amongst the players, spectators just felt a huge sense of relief. The Albion players have a victory song which they sing in the privacy of the changing room after the game. As this was the first league win of the season some of the players had trouble remembering the lines. Let’s hope that by the end of the season they will all be word perfect!

Albion started the game playing into a strong breeze with their backs to the club house. At the very start of the game they conceded a penalty, and with a good kick to touch down their right wing Moseley had a line out on the 5 metre line. An effective catch and drive saw them score in the corner. Fortunately (very fortunately as it later transpired), the conversion attempt bounced clear with the ball hitting the outside of the upright.

Albion began to take control of the game with really good ball carries up the pitch. There were some good attacks, but we failed to cross the white wash. In spite of the wind Albion had the upper hand, but a line out on the 5 metre line down in the right hand corner was wasted with it being adjudged ‘not straight’. However the Albion forwards were having probably their best performance of this and last season. At each scrum irrespective of who had the put-in Albion were pushing Moseley back yards which frequently resulted in penalties being awarded to Albion. Credit to Moseley’s front three as on a number of occasions the ball was hooked back lightning fast and they were able to clear the ball to the backs before the immense pressure they were under caused them dire consequences. The home forwards were playing well, gaining possession on Moseley line-outs although we did not have 100 % success rate on our own throw. There was no doubt whose pack was the stronger, though.

Moseley conceded a number of penalties, but Declan Cusack was somewhat conservative in his attempts to find touch - no doubt because of the breeze, particularly on the right hand wing. Although Albion were enjoying possession and territory it was not until the 20 minute that this pressure resulted in Declan having a successful penalty kick reducing the gap to a mere 2 points.

The visitors had a flanker in the sin bin for the last 10 minutes of the half but Albion failed to make the numerical superiority count, in fact they conceded a penalty right in front of the sticks which was easily kicked.  For the last few seconds of the half  Moseley were back up to full strength, but on resumption of play Albion were awarded a penalty which Declan kicked without any problem. So at half time Moseley went in with a 2 point advantage.

Albion started the second half with an attack that almost resulted in Jack Arnott scoring but again Moseley held out. However, they did concede another penalty which was easily converted putting Albion in the lead for the first time. It looked like Albion were going to forge ahead and claim a good victory. Albion’s kick chase was also working well. Shortly after the resumption of play following the successful penalty Moseley were forced to concede a scrum on the 5 metre line on Albion’s left wing. The first scrum was shunted backwards and Moseley allowed it to collapse. The referee clearly warned Moseley about the consequences. At the reset scrum, with Albion surging forward he ran under the cross bar and awarded the penalty try. This was thoroughly deserved with all the dominance that our pack had enjoyed. Then came a bit of a turning point - Moseley had a prop sinned bin. However the replacement so solidified their scrum that Albion’s dominance was to be no more. Moseley seemed to take an age on who should leave the field during the sin bin period, but once play resumed Albion were awarded another penalty which extended their lead to 19 - 8.

Albion now began to make substitutions in the pack and in a complete turnaround Moseley were now pushing us back at scrums. This is when the match entered the nail biting stage. Albion were awarded a penalty deep in their own half close to the west stand. Declan attempted a long kick down the right touch line but it stayed in play. Moseley countered and made ground up the field. They had a scrum on Albion’s 5 metre line, the push was stopped illegally, and a penalty try awarded. This was duly converted and the lead shrank to four points. Albion then conceded a penalty in the centre of their 10 metre line and the lead was reduced to just a single point when Olver put it over the bar with distance to spare.

And so into the dying minutes and the final kick to nail the long-awaited win. Once before this season, at Leeds, Albion had amassed 19 points but had been unable to secure a win. This time they managed to hold out by the skin of their teeth. So what happened that enabled Moseley to get back in the game? Certainly it appeared that their best prop was sat on the bench for most of the game. Our scrum seemed to be weaker with the substitutions that were made - the coaches should really know by now who our best tight five are.

Next week we travel to Nottingham's new home at Lady Bay - a tough ask, but with another strong performance from our pack we have a chance. Finally a mention of the crowd, a really good attendance that gave great vocal support to the team. There were a number of visitors from other clubs, one worthy of mention was a Saints fan dressed as on his way to Franklin  Gardens. Did he journey all the way from the East Midlands? Wherever the spectators came from, we thank them for coming to the Brickfields in our hour of need.