The game at Green Lane got underway in cold and blustery conditions and the wind demonstrated it’s influence straight from the kick off when Heaton Moor punted the ball straight out of play. Eccles went on to dominate possession and territory for the opening 10 minutes. Good work from the Eccles pack, in particular Spooner who held up his man to force a turnover, ensured the hosts were pinned inside their 22 but this pressure failed to transfer into points with Eccles guilty of rushing their attacking play resulting in unnecessary handling errors.
Heaton Moor survived the early assault and with 12 minutes played cleared their lines moving th ball into the Eccles half for the first time. However possession was turned over and massive boot upfield from Simpson expertly found the space behind the winger and bounced into touch to earn Eccles a 50/22 line out in the left corner. An accurate throw from Cox was caught by Houghton and an unstoppable driving maul was set in motion, with Manzanares carrying the ball over the goal line to score the opening try; converted by Simpson using the strong wind to good effect. 11” 0-7.
Heaton Moor attempted to respond and had a period of attacking possession with good opportunity to score but resolute Eccles defending inside the 22 withstood the pressure and play ultimately moved back into the Moor territory through phases of effective Eccles passing. The hosts were forced to kick in an attempt to escape their half, but Ackers-Johnson was well placed on his wing to catch the ball and set off on a mazy run, cutting right through the centre field, beating multiple opponents with his power and skill to burst through and score a marvellous solo try behind the posts. 21” 0-14
This was to be the highlight of an otherwise uneventful first half where, despite a dry firm pitch and the wind at their backs, Eccles appeared to be labouring in second gear and were not playing with their usual fluidity.
HT 0-14.
The second half began with Heaton Moor playing with more belief and attacking intent. Eccles were now playing into the wind and making hard work of getting out of their half. An excellent jackal from Ackers-Johnson at 48 minutes deep inside his 22 saved Eccles and won back possession at a crucial point as the hosts were beginning to find momentum. Eccles remained calm under pressure and a great tackle a few minutes later from Parkinson out on the left wing suppressed what turned out to be the last serious attack from Moor and a turning point for Eccles.
Eccles broke quickly up field with industry from the forwards and sharp passing between Long, Simpson, Wright and Candland. As the Eccles entered the Moor 22 some lovely short passing between Simpson, Houghton and Campbell further quickened the tempo of the attack through the middle, the ball was swiftly moved out to left wing where Talbot Dutton used his speed and footwork to slide in at the corner to score a fine try. 52” 0-19.
Replacements were introduced (Booth for Manzanares in the second row and Read for Talbot Dutton on the left wing) and both players made an impact to the thrust of the game. Eccles were straining at the leash but needed to find a little more composure to release the attack that would secure a fourth try. Simpson broke through the line centre field and offloaded Cox, who was bursting through on his shoulder in support. The Hooker had both Houghton and Candland outside him, charging up in support, but the captain feigned to pass and stepped inside the scrambling unbalanced defender to score behind the sticks; converted by Simpson. 60” 0-26.
Eccles were now shifting through the gears and the final 20 minutes was one-way traffic. Stand Off Simpson, who probably had the greatest all round influence on the game, cut through the Heaton Moor defence like a knife to dot down behind the posts; a try he converted with equal ease. 65” 0-32.
Donovan was next score amongst a pile of forward's bodies in the left corner (68” 0-38) and the celebrations continued in the same spot a few minutes later when Simpson and Read combined on the left wing to take play back into Heaton Moor territory. Simpson broke through the centre field and made an audacious one-handed offload from under his body as he was tackled to the ground to Cox. The captain was released to charge through a gap on the left flank. As he closed in on the goal line he twice fended off a challenge before the tackle brought him down and he rolled and reached out to score in the corner. 73” 0-43.
There was still time to add to the score and Ackers-Johnson rounded off a superb performance when he pounced on the ball, right in the corner, by the goal line flag on the right, to the delight of his team mates. 79” 0-48.
Eccles struggled to get going in the first half but began to play with greater flair and fluidity in the second period with some fine finishing delivering some memorable scores. Ackers-Johnson (23) Simpson (16) and Cox (11) contributed standout performances and added to their try tally for the season. Eccles will be hoping they can field their strongest team in their final fixture, away at Tarleton on Saturday 6th April, the result of which could still determine the outcome of the championship and promotion.
FT 0-48
Eccles: Reed, Cox (c), Campbell, Manzanares, Donovan, Spooner, Houghton, Cullen; Long, Simpson, Talbot Dutton, Candland, Wright, Ackers-Johnson, Parkinson. Replacements Aspinall, Booth, Read.
Photos by Phil Saunders Hall
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