Another excellent performance from the Lions who once again never gave up for the full eighty minutes but Haven winger Elliot Miller broke the noisy Lions fans hearts when he managed to squeeze over in the right corner with four minutes left and the conversion was landed from the touchline in the freezing Cumbrian gloom.
The Lions made the brighter start and Chris Atkin and Ben White both made progress in the Whitehaven twenty but good tackling was needed to stop them progressing and then against the run of play the home side took the lead when John Paul Brocklebank finished off a passing movement with a try near the left corner and he also landed the conversion. Louis Jouffret put his side further ahead in the fourteenth minute when he slipped a tackle to score by the posts and Brocklebank again added the conversion.
The Lions then had another good spell with the ball and trialist winger Liam Marshall almost got away down the left to score but a last ditch tackle from Miller stopped him just short and then Jordan Hand thought he had scored under the posts but was held up according to the official but John Duffys side kept chipping at the Haven line and eventually after being awarded two quick penalties a flowing passing movement saw Shaun Robinson dive in at the corner and Atkin added a super conversion from the touchline.
Robinson then had what looked like a certain try disallowed on the half hour when again he finished off another passing movement into the corner but a Lions player was penalised for offside during the build-up. The home side then had another good spell just before the break and twice the Lions forced the error and the ball went to ground.
The Lions drew level a couple of minutes after the break when White went close and the ball moved right from the play the ball and Atkin found the gap to score and also add the conversion. After this the game got very scrappy and the official dished out penalty after penalty which disrupted play for both sides.
Rhodri Lloyd had a good chance for the Lions on fifty-eight minutes but the ball went to ground when he tried to offload in the final ten and Atkin was off target with a penalty goal attempt on sixty-six minutes from thirty metres after this Swinton tried a couple of drop goal attempts with Atkin having the first chance and it sailed wide of the mark and then Matty Beherall tried his luck and the ball never got higher than a couple of metres and went dead in goal as they tried to keep the pressure on the Haven line.
The killer blow came with four minutes left when a Brocklehurst kick forced a Lions handling error close to their own line and from the scrum and some good passing Miller crashed over for the winner in the corner and the conversion was landed. The Lions were not giving up and threw all they could at the home defence in the final minutes and Marshall thought he had scored in the corner only to be brought back for a forward pass and in the dying seconds they were still camped on the Whitehaven line but just couldn’t break the defence.
John Duffy commented after the match that his side had never given up again and they were all devastated with the result and were unlucky when few things went against them on the field and they will be looking to put things right at the new home ground against Featherstone.
Teams:
Lions – 1.Atkin, 2.Robinson, 3.Littler, 4.Hallett, NN.Marshall, 6.White, 7.Beherall, 8.Morrison, 27.Hood, 10.Hand, 11.Dwyer, 23.Lloyd, 13.Lever.
Subs – 9.Nicholson, 12.Thornley, 16. Austin, 19.Barlow.
Tries: Robinson (20), Atkin (44).
Goals: Atkin 2/3
Whitehaven: 1.Jouffret, 5.Miller, 3. Taylor, 4.Parker, 2.Calvert, 21.Brocklebank, 7.Gore, 10.Beaumont, 9.Newton, 19.Riley, 11.Allen, 12.McAvoy, 8.Brookes.
Subs – 6.Aiye, 28.Chamberlain, 17.Fox, 26.T.Chaplehow
Tries: Brocklebank (11), Jouffret (14), Miller (76).
Goals : Brocklebank 3/3
Ref : Andy Sweet
Att : 517
Pens : 14-14
H-T: 12-6
Keep your news reliable, sustainable and local: Click here to donate £1 to support SalfordOnline.com
