Morley 20 Sandal 18

Morley were left hanging on to register a vital derby win over Sandal last Satyrday, a result which lifted them out of the National League Three North relegation zone.

Morley controlled most of the game, indeed it wasn't until the 52^nd minute that Sandal mounted their first attack into the home 22.

However, Morley became increasingly nervous as the game wore on and the visitors almost snatched an unlikely victory.

Sandal fought back from 17-8 to give themselves hope but when Simon Bradshaw landed a 79^th minute penalty the vociferous Maroons breathed a sigh of relief.

Sandal again responded and hit back with a spell of injury time pressure. Substitute Austin Thompson was held up over the line by a brilliant Bradshaw tackle but the Wakefield side were surprisingly awarded a penalty try, when the resulting scrum collapsed.

Tom Smith slotted over the conversion from in front of the posts but despite a further two minutes of stoppage time, the Maroons held out for a win which moves them out of the relegation zone, above Burnage on points difference.

It was a special day for Bradshaw, who had his marvellous achievement of passing 1,000 first team points recognised by the club, and he landed two conversions and two long range penalties to his impressive tally for the season.

Charles Hough also had a terrific game for Morley, capped by scoring both of his side's tries.

The pre-match past players luncheon helped create a cracking atmosphere at Scatcherd Lane and the Maroons responded in style with an impressive first half display.

A wayward Sandal pass went to ground after just six minutes and Hough reacted first, hacking the ball forward and he easily won the race to pounce on the ball for the opening score, which Bradshaw converted. Simon tried to respond for Sandal with a long range penalty, but the ball just dipped under the crossbar.

Hough made another terrific break, slicing through the Sandal defence on the left before slipping a pass to Jack Moon but he dropped the ball with a clear run to the line.

Sean Maquire of sandal, was sin-binned for an infringement at a maul four minutes later, Morley capitalised with a superb team try.

Scrum-half Sean Dadswell flung the ball out from a maul and Moon in turn slipped the ball to Ben Johnson, who sold a dummy and raced through the gap. He handed the ball onto Koby Gyasi and he sent Hough in at the right hand corner and Bradshaw landed a terrific touchline conversion to make the score 14-0.

Hough caused Sandal problems every time he had the ball and he carved the defence open one again before passing to Bradshaw. The winger kicked over the defence but was clattered into touch by a blatant late shoulder charge from full back Tom Coad and struck one of the concrete perimeter posts.

Thankfully Bradshaw was able to continue after treatment and Coad must consider himself very lucky not have been given his marching orders by referee Stephen Rainey, who instead just awarded Morley a penalty.

Smith then got Sandal on the scoreboard with a penalty on the 41^st minute, and Morley replied with what could have been they third try of the first half. Gyasi cut inside from the left wing and ran all the way across the pitch before passing to Bradshaw, who's quick return pass saw Gyasi bundled into touch just short of the line.

Came the second half and a change of tactics from Sandal, after Smith had been hopelessly wide with a penalty kick their forwards began to exert pressure, with a series for mauls and drives, which finally came good in the 55^th minute when fly-half Greg Wood crashed over from near the posts but Smith's poor day with the boot continued and he missed a simple conversion.

The reliable Bradshaw showed him how things should be done when on the 61^st minute he slotted over another long range penalty after a deliberate knock down, again which went unpunished by referee Rainey, and Sandal breathed a sigh of relief that they still had 15 men on the pitch,, to stretch Morley's lead to 17-8. But the Maroons from then on struggled, turning over possession as the lost a staggering 8 out of 13 scrums against the head. Smith them added a penalty for the visitors, which was immediately cancelled out by another Bradshaw long range effort just towards the end of normal time.

Then followed 8 minutes of injury time, and the surprising award of the penalty try, but Morley hung on, and claimed a very deserved victory..