Rugby league: York Acorn 14 - 26 Mayfield

Photo: Aidy Gleeson Snr

Luke Fowden scored the final try of the match

This wasn't exactly a must-win game for Mayfield on Saturday 29 July but it wasn't far off. Mayfield are fast approaching the business end of the season now and every performance and every win counts in a big way.

Mayfield started off looking comfortable and confident, playing a wide expansive game with Sam Wright and Devlin Long taking an early hold on proceedings. The forwards made inroads from the start as props Si Moore and Luke Fowden looked hungry for work. York gave away an early penalty in their own ten and quick play from Mayfield saw them move the ball from one side of the pitch to the other and Wright finished off the move with a try, converted by Cole Connolly, 0 - 6.

It was all Mayfield for the next 15 minutes, Ben Metcalfe and Charlie Mckler were showing their class with Connolly following the forwards round the field keeping the pace moving. For all the pressure they had Mayfield failed to add more points, the York defence was superb with three and four players in most of the tackles. York began to get more possession and better position as the wind started affecting the Mayfield passing.

After a good passage of play the home side must have thought they were in, as a brilliant kick from the scrum half put Mayfield under pressure but an equally brilliant take from Harry Sheridan diffused the situation. The York scrum half, Chilton was now finding his feet and making things happen and it was a defence splitting pass from him which found Potter on the burst and he scored out wide, 4 - 6.

The sides looked evenly matched now and both were playing some good rugby but Mayfield really should have sealed this game as Metcalfe was stopped on the line, then Nick Hargreaves had a try ruled out for a forward pass. This seemed to buoy up York and they began to take the ascendency. With Joe Taira in the bin for ten minutes Mayfield were under the cosh. Even more so as the big York sub crashed through to put his side in front, 10 - 6.

Mayfield were looking flustered and a late tackle on the stroke of half time saw York opt for the kick at goal, the ball sailed just wide and both touch judges flagged it as a miss but the referee had other ideas and and awarded the kick and the two points to make the score 12 - 6 at half time.

With Taira back on at the start of the second half Mayfield fed off the injustice of the kick that wasn't and picked up their game. Dec Sheridan was getting more involved and his input was making the difference, brother Harry was desperately unlucky as he just failed to touch down after a great kick and chase. York then lost their loose forward, in the bin for ten minutes after a high tackle, and Mayfield sensed a comeback. York saw it differently and pushed at the Mayfield line where they were awarded another senseless penalty which the scrum half gratefully slotted over leaving Mayfield needing two scores, 14 - 6.

Twenty minutes in and a fracas saw Si Moore and the York loose forward shown the red card. This changed the flow of the game completely and the momentum was lost altogether for both sides, with dropped ball and wayward passes. Whoever regrouped first, now at this important stage of the game was going to go on win and it was nip and tuck for a while as York attacked and were repelled with some fantastic defence from Corey Newsham and Wayne English. Defence like this lifts a team and Mayfield responded well with the Sheridans, Newsham and Tolhurst all playing a big part before a Wright break saw Dec Sheridan put Kristian McVeigh over for a well finished try in the corner, 14 - 10.

With ten minutes remaining Mayfield clicked back into gear and Harry Sheridan put York under pressure as he forced a drop out under the sticks. Mayfield were on the rise and Dec Sheridan combined with Devlin Long to engineer the space for Jack McConnachie to reclaim the lead, Long added the two, 14 - 16.

It was all Mayfield now, the last ten minutes saw them play the rugby that has kept them in the play off zone all season. Hargreaves, Mckler and Metcalfe were outstanding with Wright orchestrating in the middle of the park and it was Wright who effectively sealed the game with an outstanding solo effort which Connolly converted, 14 - 22.

Dec Sheridan was causing all sorts of problems for the York defence and the forwards responded in fine fashion outplaying their opposite numbers and when Fowden was quickest to react to a loose ball on York's line it was all over, Connolly again added the conversion.

The final score was 14 - 26 but this game really could have gone either way, turning on important moments. Fortunately for Mayfield they were the team that reacted best when it mattered most and the two points keeps them in the fight for the top.

There were some good performances from the Mayfield players, notably Harry and Dec Sheridan along with Connolly and Hargreaves but the York coaches opted for Sam Wright as their man of the match.