Well the past few weeks look to have been a bit of a disaster for Rossendale RUFC Second team as the results read. Unlucky for the Dale lads they have had to play up against four of the strongest teams in the league in succession with the majority of those games being on the road. Saturday was no different . It was Preston Grasshoppers away albeit its not such a treck across to Central Lancashire as it is to get to some of the more outlying teams such as in the deepest depths of the Wirral peninsular.
If the results look bad its not affected the spirit of the Dale lads who made the short journey full of optimism and with a great desire to start turning things around. Confidence was high as the new Captain George Peel asked every body to dig deep and win or lose come away with heads held high.
Sadly for Rossendale it was going to be one of those afternoons again as Preston started to rack up the points before half time . Despite this there was more to the performance than of recent weeks. When Dale did get the opportunity to attack they put the home side under some pressure with big charges by George Peel and Ayrton Campbell doing his best to emulate the wild bull of the Pampas whilst Matt Jackson picked his opportunities from the breakdowns to make penetrating runs straight through the Grasshoppers rucks. Aj and James Willetts continued to develop their half back partnerships well together and whenever James got the ball and made one of his trademark jinxing runs it always makes you take a big deep breath in anticipation of something magical coming off .
Despite being down by a big score Dale started the second half much the stronger team and continued in this veign for about ten minutes of the half. They pressured Preston into making mistakes and the ball kept getting pushed further and further towards the Grasshoppers line . Soon it was time to celebrate. Rossendale were awarded a penalty 5 metres out , a quick tap by Ayrton Campbell saw him held near the line. The ball was recyled out and with a little tip pass by AJ to the oncoming juggernaut in the form of Kieron Parker drove over the line carrying three or four defenders and with some smart twists and turns managed to loosen the defenders grip on him and drove to the floor safely grounding the ball to register a well deserved try , not just for Kieron but for the whole team. AJ took the conversion and popped over a delightfully flighted kick from a difficult angle to get the extras.
A few minutes later Charlie Osbourne , a forward standing in on the wing to cover an injury gave the team more to shout about when he received the ball mid way into our half and with the speed of a herd of gazelles promptly sprinted down the touchline outpacing several Preston defenders before eventually running out of steam and being brought down around Grasshoppers 22 yard line.
Other moments worthy of a mention include the kick offs by AJ. Absolute precision kicks weighted to carry just over the mandatory ten yards and the way he can hang the ball in the air inviting a charging attack to run onto the ball and reclaim possession, its a delight to watch the skill.
Final words though go towards a young man playing his first game for the senior side. A former Rossendale rugby club junior , Rowan Tweedale had a stormer . His confidence grew as the game progressed and he fitted in so well with his new team mates.
All in all then another hard game another difficult result. But with the talent that the team is now starting to put together and the confidence that the team still exudes, this season can be used as an experience and a stepping stone to far greater things . Well done to all those that turned out for the Rosssendale club and put in a real gritty effort.