Comeback kids steal Gateshead’s Thunder
12:41pm Thursday 17th July 2008
Keighley Cougars 32 Gateshead Thunder 24
Five weeks ago Gates-head entertained the Cougars, dishing out a 58-point lesson in rugby, and in so doing exposed a defence with more cracks in it than crazy paving.
At Cougar Park on Sunday, it appeared this fixture could follow the same pattern.
Gateshead centre Kevin Neigh-bour claimed Richard Knight's kick off and three minutes later following slick approach work he breached the Cougars' try line.
Dan Russell was wide of the mark with his conversion, as was the referee Mr Childs with his interpretation of the rules throughout much of the game. He gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "child's play".
As the referee came up with some logic-defying decisions, so the Cougars began to fret, trying to force the pace and in so doing making unforced errors.
Dan Potter knocked on, Chris Redfearn took Neil Thorman out high and Danny Jones gave the full back catching practice courtesy of a kick straight down his throat.
When Keighley completed a set, Ryan Smith was stopped five metres short by Thorman's last-ditch cover tackle.
Conversely, Mick Fogerty appeared fragile, missing three consecutive tackles in the first 12 minutes.
Andy Shickell, Redfearn and Greg Nicholson toiled hard but all too often their good works ended in tears. None more so than when the home side were caught offside.
With position secured, Gateshead's Michael Watton switched the play back to the left to Thorman, who scrambled home for the four points. Russell could not improve upon this, to leave Keighley trailing 8-0.
The restart saw Naylor knocking on but the Cougars could not capitalise on his generosity.
On the second tackle, Knight tried to offload to his winger Smith. Unfort-unately, his mis-directed pass just about hit the wing man's ankles. The resultant scrum was quite rightly awarded to the visitors, as was the subsequent scrum 90 seconds later following a Gateshead knock-on.
To add insult to injury, the dangerous Dylan Nash duly took a short reverse pass, before crashing through Jones. Sam Gardner came in off his wing to cover, but even he could not upend the attacker. Russell goaled to leave the Cougars 14 points adrift.
Keighley should have regained possession from the restart, with Nicholson knocking the ball back for Shickell. For once, he hesitated which allowed Naylor to steal it from under his nose.
When Keighley did regain possession, Potter spilled the ball under the challenge of Matt Barron.
On this occasion, the referee awarded head and feed to the Yorkshireman from which Jon Presley broke for 35 metres. Again, the final ball was imprecise, giving the unfortunate Smith, who was at full tilt, little chance to take it cleanly.
Two plays later, Nash punished Keighley's profligacy. He shimmied and spun past Jones and George Rayner for his second try. Again, Russell converted to leave the Cougars staring down the barrel, with a 20-point deficit after 31 minutes.
The Tynesiders flat, physical defence held firm until the 40th minute when Knight on the left put in Fogerty, who went past Russell on the outside to touch down in the corner.
Jones added the tight touchline conversion for a much-needed fillip as the home side trailed 20-6 at half-time.
An improved - and apparently fuel-injected - Cougars took to the pitch in the second half, playing with pace and panache. Their speed from the ruck was the catalyst.
The ball was worked into the Thunder's 20 before Fogerty switched play back inside to the right, whilst Knight held the outside decoy run and Jones secured the self-converted try after 43 minutes.
Pace was again the key to Keighley's next score.
The quick-witted Jermaine Wray caught Gateshead off-side. Neil Lowe then drew a high tackle from Netani Suka before Wray punctured the purple wall as he beat Nash's attempted tackle to cross the chalk under the posts.
Jones claimed the extras to cut Gateshead's lead to a mere two points.
A Lowe mini line-break into the Thunder 20 cut Gateshead to the quick, but Presley misjudged his pass with the try line beckoning.
A Jones penalty achieved parity, at which juncture Craig Fawcett was introduced.
The move paid dividends as within two minutes he had ghosted through the Gateshead ranks from 15 metres out, as no defender seemed able to lay a hand on him. Jones converted the try to open up a six-point Keighley advantage.
Nash's hat-trick score narrowed the margin to just two points but again Russell's conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Redfearn, Wray and Rawlins combined down the right for the Cougars before Jon Presley took up the running.
The fleet-footed stand off out-foxed Watton and Dan Smith to wheel his way to the whitewash. Jones's goal left Gateshead needing more than one score.
A Ryan Smith tackle on Ben McAlpine stifled one attack before it began and when Potter intercepted Dean Jamieson's long cut-out pass, the match and points belonged to Keighley, the comeback kids.
An exhilarated Barry Eaton said: "I thought we defended pretty well but decisions didn't go for us.
"We allowed our frustrations to get the better of us. The score after half an hour did not do us justice.
"However, Mick's try on the stroke of half-time gave us belief in ourselves and Gateshead something to think about.
"After the break we took control of the game, building pressure rather than trying to force the ball.
"The lads response to being 20 points down against a top-of-the-table team was magnificent.
"I'm delighted that their hard work paid off and we gained a deserved victory."