Sat 26 Aug 2023, 14:00
Prior to kick off, an away victory for Eccles on a 4G pitch, against an opponent who were playing 3 divisions higher than thier visitors last season, may have seemed an unlikely outcome to some observers and yet, it looked to be on the cards until the very last seconds of play at Varley Park on Saturday.   Â
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A youthful Eccles line up began the contest playing confident rugby, dominating possession and territory for the first 10 minutes but squandering two good opportunities to open the scoring, the best of them coming from a scorching line break from centre Candland who offloaded to supporting second row Frost who was prevented from crossing the goal line in the corner by some determined Burnage defending.
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Eccles were left regretting these missed chances on 11 minutes, when a penalty was awarded to Burnage in midfield. The ball was kicked to the corner putting the hosts inside the Eccles 22 for the first time in the game and subsequently Burnage broke through the defensive line with their first attack, the No.5 scoring to the side of the posts. 12’ 7-0 .
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Eccles responded positively to this set back, competing with conviction from the restart and within a few minutes replied. Fly-Half Speakman broke through at the halfway line and offloaded, under a heavy tackle which left him injured, to the supporting centre Timmins who rocketed through the gap to score behind the sticks. Converted by Simpson. All square. 19’ 7-7.
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An injury to Manzanares in the warm up had resulted in Fortune being drafted in from the bench at 8 and he put his impulsive attacking talent (and bionic knees) to good use all around the pitch, but it was his perceptive reading of the game in defence that resulted in the next score when he intercepted a Burnage pass inside the Eccles 22 and powered away up the pitch to dot down the Try. Converted by Simpson. 23’ 7-14.
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Eccles were playing with belief and speed. Following the restart Ackers-Johnson received the ball deep inside his own half and broke up the right wing, weaving through the tackles, making good ground and taking play close to the Burnage goal line. With good arriving support from the forwards and great lines of running from the backs, Simpson stepped his way through to score between the uprights and convert his try. 27’ 7-21.
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Burnage made a concerted effort to respond from the restart but the Eccles defensive line applied their own pressure inside the 22 and the ball was intercepted by Simpson who ran the remaining length of the pitch to score at the other end, with an excellent conversion from Speakman out wide for the extras. 33’ 7-28.
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With a few minutes remaining before the interval a frustrated Burnage pressed to reduce the deficit. A penalty awarded in midfield ultimately lead to a try in the corner. 37’ 12-28. The hosts continued to bombard the Eccles goal line but determined defence work held out and Eccles remained comfortably ahead at the break.
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HT 12-28
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The second half was a different story for Eccles. The loss of half backs Cullen and Speakman to injury meant Fortune and Simpson had to be redeployed at 9 and 10. These changes left Eccles playing with less cohesion. Burnage had the advantage of experience and used this to good effect straight from the restart. A sequence of penalties invited the hosts swiftly back into the game, using their line out catch and maul, with two tries in quick succession at 42 minutes and 50 minutes to bring the score lline closer. 26-28.
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The close contest was now in the balance and ultimately was to be determined by penality kicks as Eccles struggled to keep possession long enough to mount effective attacks. With the game entering the final quarter a spilled ball in midfield resulted in a Burnage break through the middle. The ball carrier was brought down by winger Balogun who was shown a yellow card for a high tackle and a penalty was awarded in front of the posts, which Burnage dispatched to nudge ahead. 65’ 29-28.
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Eccles responded and despite their numerical disadvantage the visitors dominated the next 10 minutes, winning the scrum and breakdown contests to keep play inside Burnage territory. An Eccles penalty was kicked to touch in the corner but the promising scoring opportunity came to nothing as composure and handling errors failing Eccles. With the clock ticking down, Eccles maintained pressure on the hosts inside their 22 and the next penalty was calmly slotted through the sticks by Simpson to restore the lead to Eccles with 5 minutes remaining. 75’ 29-31.
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With Balogun back on the pitch, Eccles were back to 15 men and set about defending their lead as the home team threw everything at them in an existing finish. In the final seconds a Penalty was awarded to Burnage on the 22 line, out on the right wing and their number 10 secured the victory with the last kick of the game to the delight and perhaps relief of their players and supporters. 80’ 32-31.
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Eccles had started well and succeeded with counter attacks but were unable to hold on to their lead in the second period when injuries stretched the squad and Burnage were the better team. Considering the number of first team debutants and the number of names missing from the make-shift pack, Eccles played with credit and can take a lot of positives and lessons from the game.  Next Saturday the League season begins and, with this first round exit from the County Cup, Eccles will be fully focused on their Counties 1 campaign.
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FT 32-31
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12’ 7-0 TRY Burnage. Conv.
19’ 7-7 TRY Eccles (Will Timmins) Conv (Leon Simpson)Â
23’ 7-14 TRY Eccles (Chris Fortune) Conv (Leon Simpson)Â
27’ 7-21 TRY Eccles (Leon Simpson) Conv (Leon Simpson)
33’ 7-28 TRY Eccles (Leon Simpson) Conv (Alex Speakman)Â
37’ 12-28 TRY Burnage.Â
HT 12-28
42’ 19-28 TRY Burnage. Conv.
50’ 26-28 TRY Burnage. Conv.
65’ 29-28 PEN Burnage.Â
75’ 29-31 PEN Eccles (Leon Simpson)Â
80’ 32-31 PEN Burnage.Â
FT 32-31.
