First Team go down fighting at Birkenhead Park

Yet another changed squad travelled to Birkenhead yesterday with a further two enforced changes being made on Saturday morning. It was always going to be a struggle against an unbeaten Birkenhead Park side but these two, last minute, changes made the task even more difficult.

Park were soon on the score-sheet, through a penalty given for a questionable high tackle, after two minutes but Leigh were quick to respond when good work by the forwards presented Rob Drake with front-foot ball for him to brilliantly dummy his way over for a try at the side of the Park sticks, which was converted by Elliott Ryan, after eight minutes.

Leigh extended their lead on fifteen minutes, when Elliott Ryan slotted over a penalty for a Park infringement. Park 3 Leigh 10.

Park narrowed the deficit, on thirty minutes, with a penalty for a late tackle but then soon added to this through a length of the field move, which produced an unconverted try for them, wide out on the left.

The killer blow came just before half time, when Park benefitted from their two man advantage (as Leigh had players in the sin bin at this time) to crash over from a five metre scrum, for a converted try, to take the teams off at the break with Park leading by 18 points to 10.

Leigh defended solidly and manfully up to the sixtieth minute but suffered badly when they lost the influential Rob Drake and Iain Wood through injury.

Park made hay whilst the sun shone (figuratively speaking) and went on to score three more tries in this last twenty minutes to seal an emphatic victory.

Final score Birkenhead Park 37 Leigh 10.

The effort of the Leigh lads again cannot be questioned but to be honest, without a settled team they are always going to be up against it.

Next week, they entertain fellow strugglers, Rochdale, at Hand Lane, who are currently one place below Leigh in the League but with two games in hand. This must be targeted as one of the ‘must win’ games for Leigh’s survival in this League.