MATCH REPORT: Vale of Lune 27 Eccles 22
An autumnal breeze underpinned the sunshine at Powder House Lane.
On show were newly-promoted Eccles RUFC and, as the only up-to-date intelligence available came from the NW2 league table, the Vale took to the field as favourites.
Vale old boy Louis Evans turned out for Eccles, making him the only element that the Vale players were familiar with.
The Vale took control from the first whistle. Many phases of Vale play denied the visitors a feel of the ball, until one long pass was intercepted by the Eccles secret weapon on their right wing.
A 75 yard dash later, and the Vale were 7-0 down.
Injuries to the Eccles front row, brought about the adoption of uncontested scrums, effectively rendering the Vale's clear strengths in that discipline to be valueless.
Composure was regained by Vale and, by the skilled distribution of half-back pairing Batty and Silverwood, possession in the Eccles half produced two penalty goals from the boot of Chris Ramwell.
A yellow card for a deliberate knock-on sent the menacing Eccles winger to the bench for 10 minutes. Despite their impediment, Eccles kicked a goal to extend their narrow lead.
The Vale shuffled their options by introducing Alex Briggs to the back line. He soon put in a strong but inelegant tackle, and the referee decided that the risk of a clash of heads contravened the safety rules.
To the dismay of the home support, Briggs was shown a straight red card.
Half time arrived with the score at six points to 10 in favour of the underdogs.
Behind on the scoreboard and a man down for the remainder of the match, it was a pivotal moment for the character and resilience of the Vale to come through.
Their seven-man pack played like there were nine of them.
From five yards out, second row Harry Fellows burst from the ruck to score. Ramwell added, and the lead changed hands. The Vale backs kept the initiative, as Jordan Fern took the Vale into range, setting up Jack Ayrton to supply Fellows for his second try.
From the restart, the upbeat Fellows leaped into the air to claim the high ball. Whilst airborne, he was hit illegally by the chasing Eccles player, who came off worse and left the field horizontally.
The speedy Eccles winger again outran the Vale defenders to score. Another try soon followed and the lead changed hands again.
As the clock ticked by, a missed penalty kick within range of the posts evoked a collective groan from the faithful.
The Vale had been only two points adrift when that chance to regain the reins went awry, yet the determination remained.
Buoyed by self-belief and trust in each other, the Vale worked in unison.
Once again, Fellows came up with the answer. His third try brought a joyful response from the terrace, and the accolade of man-of-the-match, along with a prize donated by Vale Matriarch Pat Atkinson.
Four league points to the Vale and one bonus to the visitors for a close score, were the hard facts.
No first team fixture is scheduled for next week allowing time for tweaks and knocks to heal. The next NW2 clash is at home against Winnington Park on the 9th of November. Kick off at 2.15pm.
Team: A. Fowler, A. Powers, M. Mount, G. Oyston, H. Fellows, J. Ayrton (c), T. Nicholson, S. Wallbank, J. Batty, J. Silverwood, J. Fern, A. Bolton, C. Ramwell, C. Murrell, D. Leighton. Reps: A. Briggs, M. Goodman, R. Pillow.