Wetherby outclassed by Goole

After three wins on the bounce, Wetherby were looking to travel to in form Goole with hopes of causing an upset and stamping their mark on the second half of the season. The last minute drop-out of captain Danny Warden was a major blow, but not wholly unexpected after having a bad week with his osteoporosis.

After making the journey down the M62, Wetherby were greeted to a pitch that better resembled an off-season crop field than a rugby pitch as groundsman lay down sand to try and dry the swamp. The full effects of the sand were felt by Rob Adair, who's face blew up like he had been attacked by a swarm of wasps. I'd say he had swollen cheeks and squinty eyes, but that's how I always describe him anyway.

Goole kicked off and made hay from early mistakes and Wetherby compounded error after error, and lacked early composure. Goole looked sharp with hands on the ball, while the visitors' heads were still in the changing rooms. Goole carried with purpose and supported each other well, and an attack down the right hand side gave them a try within five minutes. 5-0.

Wetherby struggled to get a handle on the game, with the conditions playing a huge part. Every time Wetherby managed to get the ball, possession was either squandered or kicked away, allowing Goole to run the ball back. Bryn Kitching was the first to pay the price for a heavy workload in defence as his shoulder popped out of joint. These things are to be expected though, when you're made of gingerbread and only have icing sugar to hold you together.

The next to bite the bullet was Gareth Plant, who put in a valiant effort in the tackle but broke his jaw in the process of being knocked out. Unfortunately, this did little to quell his sideline rants although Tom Zannetti will be happy that Gareth spent Saturday night in A+E rather than terrorising local DJs. From the resulting scrum Wetherby were like a revolving door in defence. One missed tackle allowed Goole's man of the match centre to run in under the posts and extend their lead. 12-0.

The remainder of the half simply consisted of the Goole fly-half making the same kick down their left wing into touch, and Wetherby trucking up field only to cough up possession again. Andrew Trotman, who is intolerant to every good except weetabix, also struggled to cope with the tactical kicking despite the kick being the same every time. On the one occasion Wetherby worked hard enough to earn a penalty, Myles Oates hit the post despite his girlfriend Honey Boo Boo not being there to cloud his thinking.

Half-time: Goole 12-0 Wetherby.

The half-time team talk was a mess, with a dejected team looking to lay fault in various different areas, but what was clear was the Goole were playing with the exact game plan Wetherby were trying to at with, only far more accurately.

Matt Chappell and Matt Harrison in the second row both looked to inject physicality into the game but with less mobility on the pitch the game opened up. The lively back row of Sam Mayhew, Rhys Thomson and Sam Mayhew were outstanding in defence, scuppering half-breaks and anticipating Goole's impressive support lines.

When Goole got the ball into the wide channels, they were met with some good defence from Chris Atkinson and Jack Kaye, who put in his best display of the season. Jack looked to be Wetherby's biggest threat with ball in hand as he ghosted past defenders as though they were responsibilities. Goole were far better around the breakdown however and forced a kickable penalty to build a three score lead. 15-0.

This was followed up by some more strong work by their forwards, and they should have had another try but for a last ditch tap tackle from Steve Hoather, who injured himself in the process and was forced from the field. Goole came back for a penalty advantage and went quickly, taking advantage of some more chocolate defence to seal the game. 22-0.

Wetherby were struggling for direction, and looked as though they were on the verge of a real thumping, but on the hour mark appeared to click a switch. Jonny Day was clearly hampered by injury but directed his forward admirably. Bradley Mason and Tom Bottomley looked to get their hands on the ball and Wetherby maintained possession of the ball for the first time in the game.

Another break from Jack Kaye, and pressure from Andrew Trotman forced a scrum. The pass to fly-half Harry Kaye dribbled along the floor but his instinctive chip and chase to score under the posts showed a glimpse into his lonely childhood, with long hours spent in the garden practicing against the dog. 22-7.

Goole were clearly rattled by this alarming turn of events and pushed hard to get a bonus point try, playing from all areas of the pitch. A loose pass was pounced upon by Harry Kaye, as he waddled in for his second try of the game. Harry's day got even better after his shout out on radio 1 after the game, but his two moments of brilliance had clawed Wetherby back into the game. Andrew Trotman converted, as Myles Oates can't get through 80 minutes without cramping. 22-14.

Unfortunately Wetherby were unable to get into position to squeeze a losing bonus point, and held tight in the last couple of minutes to avoid giving Goole their bonus point.

Full-time: Goole 22-14 Wetherby.

Overall Wetherby didn't play well, didn't get the bounce of the ball, and came up against a better side but showed great heart to make the result close. Could have easily been a heavier scoreline.

MoM: Jonny Day - would have been Harry Kaye but he left early. Jonny battled well through injuries and had a gutsy game.

DoD: Jack Kaye - showed glimpses of the old Kayeman. All the more frustrating when he throws his toys out!!