Posted on Tuesday, 29 April 2008 10:49AM by

Perhaps it’s as well we don’t have to make another trip to Post Office Road this season, I’m not sure we’d have enough players left to complete the rest of our fixture list. Along with Mark Field we can now add Andy Bostock and Alex Bretherton to our long term injury list, and just as things appeared to be going so well. A well deserved victory at The Mount, and Fev’s effort against the Catalans suggested this might be a close run thing, though the number of mistakes made by both sides in the opening moments suggested it wasn’t going to be a classic. Thankfully things settled down, though it was still more than 10 minutes before the Rams were able to complete a full set. Fev weren’t much better, and at least Pat Walker’s penalty around the 13-minute mark seemed to settle the Rams. A high kick to the right corner was knocked on by the Rovers, and from the resulting scrum the ball went left for Bostock to force his way over in the corner. Though Walker missed the conversion, Fev obligingly put the restart kick out on the full, too good an invitation for the Rams to ignore. A few weeks ago we’d have been unable to make the opportunity pay, this time we did, and again it was Bostock driving over from close range. Again Patch missed the conversion, but with the score at 10-0 we were going well, and the Fev supporters were starting to get at their side. 25 minutes in, some silly play on the last tackle gave Fev a penalty, which Stuart Dickens slotted over easily. For me it was the events of the next ten minutes that were to prove crucial to this game, even though it was the Rams who scored again. First though, Andy Bostock was stretchered off with a worrying injury, before Alex Bretherton charged down a chip on his own 20m line, regathered and raced to the try line in the far left corner. He made it, just… though the tackle that came in as he went over saw him leaving the field of play with a broken/dislocated shoulder that could see him sidelined for the next 2 or 3 months. Though Pat Walker kicked an excellent conversion, stretching the Rams lead to 16-2, the injuries seemed to unsettle the side. Fev took full advantage and as the half ticked away, so did our lead. On the final tackle of the next set, Deano was up too quickly, allowing Sean Hesketh space to go in beside the posts. In the absence of Stuart Dickens, scrum half Handforth kicked the goal before adding another penalty awarded for a high tackle a couple of minutes later. The Rams were clearly rattled, and now it was their turn to fluff the restart kick, inviting yet more pressure. Rovers went right, and quick hands gave winger Waine Pryce room to go over in the corner. Though Handforth’s kick came back off the post, the score was now 16-14 to the Rams. Those final few minutes had brought Featherstone right back into the game. As the teams left the field I scribbled a little note in my pad - ‘Good half, but how much will the injuries to Bossy and Brevvy count in the 2nd half?’ The answer came all to early. Their pack well and truly fired up, and 2nd row Blakeway put centre Wayne McHugh in for an early try on the left. Though the conversion was missed, Fev were in front for the first time at 18-16. Even now the Rams came back, Kane Epati’s run providing the platform from which Dominic Maloney cut through a static Rovers defence with ease to score beside the posts. Pat Walker added the conversion and Rams were back in front. Hopefully I thought this might steady the ship, but I was wrong. 15 minutes in, Fev were over on the right, centre Andy Kirk crossing for the try. For the second time Handforth’s conversion came back off the post and the scores were level at 22 apiece, with some 25 minutes left on the clock. It should have been a case of ‘what we have, we hold.’ Instead we got a selection of ‘moments I would like to forget’. Right away, Handforth broke on the right to feed in Andy Kirk for his 2nd try. Dickens goaled this one, though a few moments later Pryce seemed over again, though this one was ruled out on the intervention of the touch judge. Only for a few moments though; three to be precise. In case the Rams hadn’t seen the move the first time, Fev repeated it and Waine Pryce touched down for a try that should have been cleared comfortably. Another good touchline conversion stretched the lead to 22-34, and now we were struggling to hang on to a bonus point. Rams were under increasing pressure. Both sides seemed to be tiring, and maybe surprisingly, it was the Rams who struck back, Austin Buchanan breaking out of his own 20 and setting off on a long, mazy run that saw him going over for an excellent try. Unfortunately Walker missed the goal, but with only 6 minutes on the clock and the score at 26-34, hope was restored, however briefly. With 3 minutes left Fev switched the ball from right to left, and McHugh touched down a deft kick through for his 2nd try. Dickens added the conversion, stretching their lead to 26-40. Even now the Rams came back, and were awarded a penalty that would have given them a bonus point. For some reason they took the tap instead of the 2 points, and so got nothing from a game they could have won. Not our most intelligent performance of the season. This was always going to be a close game, and I believe the outcome swung on the injuries to Alex and Andy. By the time the final whistle was in sight, Fev had that little bit more gas left in the tank. No excuse for missing out on the bonus point though, that was unforgivable. Teams :- Dewsbury Rams :- Austin Buchanan; Kane Epati; Chris Langley; Andrew Bostock; Tom Colleran; Josh Weeden; Dean Lawford; Aaron Trinder; Liam Finn; Dominic Maloney; Tere Glassie; Alex Bretherton; Patrick Walker. Subs :- Ryan Glynn; Martin Robinson; Jake Wilson; Joe Helme. Featherstone Rovers :- Tommy Saxton; Waine Pryce; Andy Kirk; Wayne McHugh; Scott Wilson; Andy Kain; Paul Handforth; Tony Tonks; Joe McLocklan; Stuart Dickens; Tommy Haughey; Richard Blakeway; Loz Wildbore. Subs :- Danny Richardson; Sean Hesketh; James Houston; Kevin Eadie. Referee :- Gareth Hewer Attendance :- 1,230 Man of the Match :- Tommy Haughey.