Morley 5 Altrincham Kersal 17

Dull, dark, dank and miserable, with just the odd bright spot, - no not the weather (well yes it was) but Morleys performance last Saturday.

After the improvement of recent weeks Morley took a very definite step backwards as they lost to an Altrincham side that arrived at Scatcherd Lane at the bottom of National League Three North.

Defeat was all the more disheartening as the Maroons took an early lead and looked to have a game plan to beat their visitors before turning in a poor second half display.

After surviving initial pressure near their line Morley went ahead from their first attack on five minutes when winger Simon Bradshaw raced onto a Ben Johmnson perfectly placed grubber kick to control the ball with his feet and then touch down for a well worked try.

He was unable to add the conversion from wide out and Altrincham looked to reply only for full back James Conville to miss a penalty from 35 metres out.

Another Johnson kick for Bradshaw almost brought a second try as the winger reached it and hacked on only to see his desperate dive fail with the ball going out over the dead ball line.

From the resulting drop out it was actually the visitors who scored as their quick restart caught out winger Koby Gyasi and turnover ball lead to a backs move finished by Conville.

Again the kick was missed. But it was 5-5 and that's the way it stayed until half time.

It was not for the want of trying from Bradshaw that the Maroons did not add to their score as he was at the centre of three attacks, sidestepping into touch trying to round the last man from 20 metres out, being tackled into touch by opposing winger Matthew Warner after a good move involving Johnson and Scott Evans and the initiating his own long range break with a great dummy only for his attempted kick over the top being caught by an Altrincham defender.

But too often Morley were attacks spoiled by their inability to secure their own ball in the line out and good field positions were surrendered.

They made a bright start to the second half and again Bradshaw was unlucky as he got to Johnson's low licl through but was denied by a desperate defenders boot as he looked to control the ball close to the line.

Altrincham responded and although winger Warner was tackled into touch ten metres out to end a promising move play was brought back for a penalty and home lock Tom Hanson was surprising sin binned.

Within a minute the visitors scored their second try, from the penalty Altrincham put the ball into touch five metres out, they won the lineout, mauled the ball forward, and second rower Rich Hutchinson dived over from close range, Conville again was unable to add the conversion from a wide out angle.

Morley had a chance to hit back but Bradshaw fell short with a difficult penalty and that was more or less their last scoring chance as their attacking game fell apart and possession became harder and harder to secure.

The game did liven up after a fracas following an awful late and high tackle by Dylan O'Grady on replacement scrum half Scott Benton. (which left him with a broken rib). Players and supporters alike were stunned when referee Mike Barker awarded a penalty yet let the Altrincham player stay on the field.

Tempers flared for a while and home captain Steve Costello was left frustrated by more decisions by the official that required explanation, but despite an oncreased intensity for a while the Maroons were unable to turn it into productive play and it was the visitors who scored again on 70 minutes.

Another forwards drive from a line out saw Hutchinson crash over again, this time Conville added the extra points and it was game over.