LIONS FALL TO DEFEAT IN FINAL SECONDS

SWINTON LIONS 24

GOOLE VIKINGS 28

IAN RIGG Heywood Road Sunday

A try from Vikings fullback Shane Tuohey twelve seconds from full time pulled his side from the jaws of defeat to go home with the win. An error by the same player gave the Lions some early ball and they made the most of it when Tom Ratchford fed Kenny Baker to crash over in the sixth minute by the posts and Reece Briers added the conversion. It got better within a couple of minutes when Gav Rodden sent a nice kick to the line, and it bounced off the posts for Baker again to score and again Briers converted. The Vikings hit back on fourteen minutes when some good pressure near the line saw Jaylen Hodgson go over from short range by the posts and Jack Miller converted. Miller then sent a kick towards the corner for his winger Connor Barley, but the ball ran away from him. Ellis Anderson then had a nice break down the left wing but was sent into touch. Vikings put good pressure on the line on twenty-three minutes and forced a goal line drop out but lost the ball early in the tackle count. Lions substitute Deane Meadows was sent to the sinbin for a tip tackle and this sparked up the Vikings attack, and they had a few chances on the line before Barley forced his way over in the corner for a try in the dying seconds of the half and Miller converted off the touchline to level the scores.

Vikings went further ahead four minutes into the second half when Tuohey made a good break before feeding his winger to cross in the corner, but Miller was unable to convert off the touchline. The Lions tried to hit back and had some good pressure going forward but Ratchford couldn’t hold a pass, and it all fell down. Jack Stevens forced a goal line drop out on fifty-seven minutes and from this the Lions went back ahead when Aaron Lynch scored under the posts and Briers converted. Vikings were not lying down and a Miller high kick to the corner proved good when Callum Shaw scored in the corner and Miller converted. It was the Lions again coming strong and Steven was causing the Vikings problems in defence and it was he who put his side back in the lead with four minutes left when he chipped a short kick to follow it and score by the posts with Briers converted as they hit the front again, but in the final minute down by their own line Vikings won a penalty and this propelled them into good position when Keenan Tomlinson and Barley worked well down the left to set up position for Tuohey to grab the winner from short range and as the hooter was about to sound Miller converted to secure the win.

MATCHFACTS

LIONS

2 Connor Parkinson

24 Ethan Fitzgerald

20 Adam Jones

4 Aaron Lynch

3 Ellis Anderson

7 Jack Stevens

6 Reece Briers

18 Bobby Shingler

21 Tom Ratchford

15 Jamie Redecliff