Goole 17

Keighley 10

THIS was always going to be a difficult afternoon for depleted Keighley in SSE Yorkshire Division Two – and so it proved.

In the first 20 minutes, Keighley were penned in their own half as their untried combinations were unable to either attack or kick out of defence due to the shortage of quality possession.

The deadlock was broken when Goole fly half Phil Neal charged through some half-hearted tackles to score wide out.

A little later some poor Keighley line kicking and clever Goole interplay gave their captain Steve Morris the platform to cross, winger Chris Neal converting.

Keighley, through the efforts of their experienced players – especially centre Adam Horsfall and No 8 Josh Hannah – marshalled the troops and took play deep into Goole territory.

After a series of scrums and penalties, scrum half Luke Daniels scampered over on the stroke of half-time to reduce the deficit.

The second half was a much more even contest, with Keighley – resorting to a more forward-orientated game – at last able to keep Goole under sustained pressure.

Eventually the gaps around the fringes opened, giving prop Sam Booker the chance to use his power to drive over the line.

Goole managed to resist further punishment and made inroads into Keighley territory with some astute kicking from Phil Neale.

At a line-out on the Keighley 22, the Goole jumper was manhandled as he took the ball, which led to a penalty.

From there a quick tap-and-go, combined with lack of concentration from the Keighley defence, gave Goole hooker Kyle Hall the simplest of tries.

Keighley dominated the last ten minutes and crossed the line, only to drop the ball before grounding it. Nevertheless, they had to be satisfied with a deserved losing bonus point.