Stafford 17 vs Dudley K 31

One week removed from a cup final victory and Dudley K were the visitors to Blackberry Lane. With 21 players either unavailable or injured it meant that a mixed team with a new back line would take the field on a beautiful Sunday morning.
The visitors were visibly the bigger physically and took the game to Stafford early on, the Terriers were having to defend and although Stafford managed to gain ground through breaks by Finn and Frazer, Dudley utilised the central third and opened the score after some high tackles were broken through. (0-5)
Almost straight from the restart Stafford again were slow off the line and allowed the visitors to truck up the middle and within a few phases had doubled their score (0-12).
This seemed to wake Stafford up and the Terriers began to move the ball well, in particularly Tyler and Oli’s O & B began to hit good lines and Elijah moved the ball into space. Eventually it provided a chance for Joe but the prop was not only stopped short of the line, but also picked up an injury in the act.
Stafford remained within the final third and although Dudley kicked out, it was well covered by both Harrison and Frazer. The ball was then moved wing to wing giving Rory the chance to open his legs, the winger made good ground before eventually being bundled into touch.
The small openings were being closed or missed and after Dudley managed to turn a lineout over on their 22, they hit some nice lines with their big carriers and eventually piled over for a third try (0-17).
Despite the score the Terriers were starting to make ground, Connor who was now in the centres made good ground from kick off and Stafford began to move the ball. Further carries by the forwards including Carter and Tyler again made ground, eventually the ball popped out and Connor danced and smashed his way through a couple of defenders to score Staffords opening try . It was a good team try with plenty of phases and excellent ball retention. (5-17)
Stafford though and not for the first time this half allowed Dudley to get straight back into the game as another kick off was not cleaned up and within moments Dudley scored again (5-24).
With time ticking away in the first half a further opportunity arose as Stafford pushed to close the gap. After Dudley conceded a couple of penalties Stafford went wider away from the big defenders and after good teamwork, Connor saw the opportunity to step inside and by all accounts was a cert to score under the posts. Unfortunately, at the last second his hands let him down and the ball was knocked on.
The second half started as the first finished with Stafford applying good pressure and Dudley escaping through turnovers close to their own line. Carter and Matty both with good carries got Stafford again on the front foot but again the visitors defence held firm. Oli B made a break, unfortunately the second row got overpowered and was bundled into touch. It was pleasing despite these opportunities that Staffords heads didn’t drop and eventually their hard work would be rewarded as Tyler would score to close the gap (10-24).
Stafford were growing in confidence and had figured out how to defend against Dudleys big ball carries. In attack they ran a tracker from just inside their half and Frazer made inroads to the Dudley 22. Despite being turned over, it kept the ball deep in the opposition half.
After Matty turned a ball over Declan and Frazer did enough at the next breakdown to keep the ball in play, the result would be another try for Connor and Elijah would add the two to get within a score (17-24).
Dudley were clearly tiring up front and Stafford were gaining territory and being awarded penalties at both the breakdown and scrum. Unfortunately, a missed touch finder and a disjointed chase allowed the Dudley winger to go coast to coast and score to finish off any hope of a come back. (17-31).
The last few minutes saw the game become untidy as fatigue and frustration began to creep in.
As the final whistle blew, the teams heads were down, as you could see what it meant to them. The effort and commitment though should be praised, and squad players got good minutes and their development continues and will do next week against Old Hales.
As for MOTMs, it was always going to be a difficult match to follow on from last week and the squad short in certain positions (three scrum halves covering 9,10 and 13), however it was good to see Finn and Oli B get good time on the pitch and both had good games. However, for the forwards this week it was Tyler whose game play gets better and better every week. In the backs Rory really stepped up this week. He made a number of tackles (not his forte) and gained a bloody lip for his efforts, he also showed the pace that he has and was unlucky not to get a try.
So, on we go to OId Hales and another opportunity for players to show what they can do