Disappointing is the word that best describes Huddersfield YMCA’s performance in their 31-28 National III North defeat at Burnage.

Ill discipline, atrocious ball retention and an inability to secure their own set piece were the main causes of the defeat, but the need to completely

reshuffle the backs again and a poor playing surface didn’t help.

YM didn’t come away empty handed and secured two bonus points for scoring four tries and also losing by fewer than seven points, but that is no consolation because this was

a game they threw away.

Burnage were on the front foot from the start and, after a couple of infringements, they were awarded a penalty try after only five minutes. Adam Knight added the extras.

YM responded, however, when Adam Ryder found himself in space and fed Bulloch on the left who, just as he was about to be bundled into touch, released a gem of a pass to put Chris Clarke in the clear to score under the posts, and Gavin Stead made it 7-7.

James Bell was yellow-carded for YM, leaving Knight an easy penalty to put the home side 10-7 ahead, and the indiscipline continued as a string of penalties went the way of Burnage.

The YM forwards were under the cosh and, after landing another penalty, Burnage drove over for a try from which Knight missed the conversion.

Knight added another penalty to make it 18-7 at half time, YM needing to throw the ball around more rather than getting mixed in a slugging match among the forwards.

Right from the re-start YM conceded a scrum by not kicking 10 yards and, after the home side piled forward, an inevitable penalty left YM 21-7 adrift.

This was compounded only minutes later by Mark Whitehead’s departure to the bin after ignoring repeated warnings, but the numbers were evened up when Burnage winger Kornecki also walked.

Fortunately at that stage the YM seemed to wake up and started playing to their strengths, using pace instead of brawn to break down the home defence and get into the Burnage 22 from where Josh Willans produced a neat offload to Bell, who nipped over close to the posts. Stead landed the kick to put YM back in the hunt at 21-14.

YM conceded another penalty, but Ryder scorched 40m to touch down in a better YM spell and Stead added the touchline conversion to close it up at 24-21.

Almost immediately, though, Burnage forced their way over for another converted try to go 10 points up, but YM hit back again and were unlucky not to get more from the referee after he binned Harrison for the home side for deliberately knocking the ball down from what looked a try-scoring pass.

YM regrouped and played their best rugby of the match, eventually being rewarded with a Stead try which he converted to make it 31-28.

For the last few minutes of the game it was all YM, with Ryder and Bell both going close – the latter held up over the line – and the visitors were only a yard from the line when they committed the schoolboy error of backing into their own man, at which point the referee blew for time.

Team: Stead, Ryder, Van Rooyen, Bulloch, Tindall, Clarke, Willans, Dyke, Hill, Moore, Housley. Bell, Whitehead, Hodge, Lumb, Interchange: Watson, Robertson, Dyson