Sat 14 Feb 2026, 14:15
In cold, bright conditions, Toc H took up their positions on the thawing battlefield and waited in readiness for Eccles to arrive. The game kicked off and 38 minutes later Eccles made a brief appearance before the break.
The visitors received possession inside their 22 and immediately cleared for a line out on the left. Spooner secured the ball but Fortune, returning from injury and selected at fullback, was unable to break through the middle, momentum was lost and the first of many breakdown penalties against Eccles allowed Didsbury to move the game out of their territory - a pattern of play that would be regularly repeated. Eccles attempted to counter strike from a midfield scrum up the wing but the ball was fumbled. From a resulting scrum Didsbury moved the ball across the field to the corner where a valiant tackle from Ackers-Johnson prevented a score, however, another breakdown penalty against Eccles provided a quick-tap opportunity for the visitors and the Didsbury #10 made easy work of slotting through the #13 to score beside the posts.
5’ 0-7 TRY DIDSBURY; CONV.
A similar restart delivered a similar result with Didsbury kicking clear for a line out on the left. Coop caught the ball but Eccles were unable to make any progress through the middle and made several unsuccessful attempts to enter the Didsbury 22 before spilling the ball in contact. Longford successfully regained possession for Eccles in a maul but the Didsbury defence remained intact with the attack faltering once again in the 13 channel. At 12’ an Eccles penalty on the edge of the 22 offered promise but Cullen’s kick to the corner failed to find touch and Didsbury kicked clear. Another another breakdown penalty gave possession back to Didsbury and the attritional contest remained at the halfway line until the Didsbury #13 kicked through the line to the corner, where Fortune misjudged the tumbling ball and the #7 gleefully picked up the gift and placed it over the line to score.
14’ 0-12 TRY DIDSBURY.
The calamities continued for Eccles. The restart kick into the 22 was returned by the boot and collected by Fortune, who was unable to break through the middle and a fourth breakdown penalty was awarded against Eccles allowing Didsbury to move play up the field again. Eccles were working hard to break out of their own territory and the set piece was dependable but the attacks were predictable and ponderous, lacking penetration and often loosing possession after a few phases. Didsbury were determined and a turnover in midfield gave the visitor’s the opportunity to attack with another attempted kick to the corner which left Fortune walloped by the #13 and requiring medical attention to rebuild him. Eccles continued to struggle with the task of getting out of their half and a second penalty kick from Cullen failing to find touch summed up the performance. After 20 minutes of midfield wrestling, a break by Didsbury's #13 using the trusted kick and chase to the corner saw the ball collected on the wing and neatly offloaded back inside to the chasing #13 to score.
35’ 0-17 TRY DIDSBURY.
As before, the restart was caught in the Didsbury 22 and cleared for a line out on the left. In charging down the kick Cox sustained an injury and the captain was replaced by Eaton at Hooker. This change upfront was matched with a switch in the backs, with Fortune moving to Stand Off, Mercer to Fullback, Candland to Centre.
Eccles appeared.
Coop secured the ball at the line out, Cullen fired a bullet from the driving maul to Fortune, playing expansively, missing two to find Mercer hurtling through from deep smashing through the tackles into the 22, offloading to Ackers-Johnson outside who fought his way to the corner concentrating the scrambling defence. The direction of attack switched with Candland now occupying stand off and playing expansively, missing two to find Burdon with a flat pass who fired his own fine pass right out to Cresswell on the wing and he neatly offloaded back inside to Eaton to score. Coast to coast to coast. Eccles were finally on the board.
38’ 7-17 TRY ECCLES (Eaton) CONV (Parkinson)
HT 7-17
Eccles had ended the first half attacking but remained stuck in the middle of the pitch, as they had been for most of the first period, with the Didsbury defence holding firm. Eccles began the second half with improved purpose and pace in their play, Longford often spearheading the line breaks. After 10 minutes Eccles were still struggling to find accuracy with another midfield penalty failing to reach touch and successive quick tap penalties and strong carries from Cresswell, Longford, Spooner and Coop putting them on the front foot only to spill possession in critical positions. Eccles introduced replacements (Connor for Cunningham, Cox for Coop, Holland for Dodd) but the game remained suffocated and when the tide eventually turned in Didsbury’s favour the visitors he took the opportunity to extend their lead with a simple penalty infront of the posts.
54’ 7-20 PENALTY DISDBURY
Eccles responded with a midfeild break from Mercer offloading to Ackers-Johnson who swerved through three attempted tackles to take the game into the Didsbury 22. Play moved across the pitch to the left and then back to the right as Candland, Longford and Burdon searched for a way through the dogged defence before a penalty for a high tackle unlocked the door. The resulting line out in the corner was secured by Spooner and an unstoppable driving maul was completed by Cox who scored at the back. Converted.
60’ 14-20 TRY ECCLES (Cox) CONV (Parkinson)
Following the restart, some strong ball carrying took Eccles from their 22 into Didsbury territory before a pedestrian clear out once again lost possession. Eccles’ lack of precision and width was undermining their efforts and Didsbury demonstrated what could be achieved with pace and quick hands out wide when they broke through on the right and the fullback scored a good try in the corner.
64’ 14-25 TRY DIDSBURY
The Didsbury defence continued to keep Eccles outside their 22 for long periods. Although the penalty count was in their favour Eccles were unable to keep possession long enough to make any progress. With 5 minutes remaining, Cullen sustained an injury and Holland’s speed was redeployed from the wing to scrum half.
Eccles appeared.
From a scrum on the halfway line, the ball zipped across the field - Holland, Fortune, Candland, Ackers-Johnson, Mercer, Parkinson into the 22 and quikcly recycled back inside at pace with Cresswell, Dodd and Eaton driving the attack into the centre. However, Fortune's hard flat pass could not be gather by Cuningham and the Didsbury #16 picked up the loose ball inside his 22 and raced away 70m up the wing to score at the other end.
75’ 14-32 TRY DIDSBURY
Adding to the catalogue of Eccles errors the restart failed to make 10 meters. The resulting scrum for Didsbury took the visitors from the halfway line to the edge of the 22 before they spilled the ball. Fortune was first to react, picking up and breaking away through the middle, offloading Ackers-Johnson on his shoulder, who swerved around his opposite number and raced in behind the posts to score. The straightforward conversation, consistent with the overall Eccles performance, was squandered when Candland’s hurried kick was charged down.
78’ 19-32 TRY ECCLES (Ackers-Johnson)
At the restart Eccles made another brief appearance, recieving the ball inside their 22 and forging a rapid break out with Fortune popping a short pass to Dodd who burst through the middle and charged to the halfway line where a penalty at the breakdown momentarily slowed the pace, before Ackers-Johnson broke free out wide, weaving through desperate tacklers into the 22. Forward's pistons in the centre carreid the attack and provided the space for Fortune to exploit on the right, with a neat reverse pass putting Mercer through at close range to score a satisfying try. Converted by Parkinson as the last play.
80’ 26-32 TRY ECCLES (Mercer) CONV (Parkinson)
Other than the two late tries to seize a bonus point from the defeat there was very little for Eccles to celebrate with this disappointing performance. Things improved with the reorganisation of half backs but recovering from a 3-try deficit proved impossible with possession and precision so sporadic. Didsbury defended with sustained determination, thrived off Eccles errors and deservedly claimed the win.
FT 26-32
Eccles team: Cuningham, Cox (C), Burdon, Spooner, Coop, Cresswell, Russell, Longford. Cullen, Candland. Ackers-Johnson, Mercer, Dodd, Parkinson, Fortune. Repacements: Eaton, Connor, Holland.
A pretty miserable day for Eccles, which had begun with the 3XV unable to raise a team and conceding their 4th fixture of the season and consequently folding, was lifted with a 22-21 victory for the Eccles 2XV over Rochdale 2XV, with Colts Joe Ruddock and Jenson Pestell making their Senior debuts - Pestell scoring the late winner.
