Oh dear!
With high hopes for a successful end to the season Huddersfield YMCA yet again failed to deliver when it counted, going down 20-17 to the last kick of the match against Burnage at Laund Hill in National III North.
In a fixture that could have made all the difference to their league position, the bottom line is they managed to drop two league places with what some might say was their most inept performance of the season.
Not taking anything away from Burnage who worked hard and thoroughly deserved their win, but the way the YM performed at this level defied belief.
Knock on after knock on, turnover after turnover, wrong decision after wrong decision, it’s difficult to know where to start.
From the kick off Burnage did a good job of denying the YM the ball and for those who watch the YM regularly it was very quickly plain to see that this was not going to be their finest hour.
The visitors were quickly into their stride and had the home side on the back foot and after a Burnage clearance kick was allowed to bounce instead of being collected in a positive manner, the writing was on the wall.
Chris Kornecki collected and sprinted to the line for the first Burnage score.
The YM came back but were still full of mistakes, being regularly turned over in the tackle and needlessly trying to keep the ball alive. There was no shortage of heart but the basics just weren’t there.
YM remained a potent force in possession, however, and a neat inside pass put Adam Ryder under the posts for Gavin Stead to provide a 7-5 lead.
Things started to look a little brighter when, on the stroke of half time, Stead added a well-struck penalty when Burnage were caught offside and it was 10-5 at the break.
The second half started positively for the YM with a good period of pressure in the opposition half, but unfortunately they couldn’t capitalise.
A clearance kick by Burnage towards the touchline looked innocuous enough, but yet again a failure to act cost the YM dear. The ball was left to bounce as it ran along the touchline and winger Kornecki again picked up to score. Again the kick was missed but it was 10-10.
The pattern continued with the home side needlessly squandering good possession and Burnage went over through Chris Quick after a sweeping move, with kicker Adam Knight this time bang on the mark for a 17-10 lead.
YM hadn’t given up the ghost and continued to play good rugby, forcing the opposition back for lengthy periods.
However, every time it looked as though something was on, the YM managed to fluff it.
Eventually YM did get their reward when winger Lloyd Bentley was on the end of a move to get a much-needed score, to which Stead added the conversion and, as the end of full time approached, it looked as though the draw was favourite.
But with play in midfield as the whistle approached, Burnage were awarded a penalty just inside the YM half. Knight stepped up and, with the wind at his back, gave the ball a mighty whack and it scraped over the crossbar to give his team the win.
So it was disappointment all round for YM supporters after a performance which illustrated you have to respect possession at this level.
YMCA: Fletcher, Stead, Bentley, Barber, Ryder, Clarke, Willans, Dyke, Murphy, Moore, Housley, Bell, Whitehead, Hodge, Lumb. Interchange all used: Watson, Robertson, Hill.
