Mirfield Spartans suffered their first league defeat in more than four months as they went down away at Keighley Albion on Saturday.
A big crowd turned out at Keighley for a game with all the makings of a classic, and the players on the pitch did not disappoint.
The result hung in the balance right through to the closing stages, when the hosts crossed for two converted tries to finally settle the contest – this after the Spartans had battled back to within six points while playing up the slope in the second half.
There was no arguing with the outcome, though. Albion were full value for their win, avenging the defeat they suffered at Mirfield back in May.
The Spartans headed into the game without captain Alfie Copley and centre Lewis Boye, though Jordan Paga returned to the halves.
Playing downhill in the first period, Mirfield took the lead through a flowing right-to-left move that gave James Pickering the space to break and cross.
The touchline conversion came back off the post, and the hosts responded with a quickfire double, both converted, to lead 12-4 at the interval.
Albion stretched that advantage to 16-4 after the restart, leaving the Spartans with a mountain to climb – a task made harder by the loss of top scorer Lewis Toner to a first-half injury, with further knocks leaving the visitors short on the bench for much of the second half.
To their credit, the boys showed immense spirit to hit back, Josh Willcock powering over for a trademark try.
The conversion made it 16-10 and, with plenty of time remaining, gave Mirfield a real chance of at least sharing the spoils.
But while the openings came, it was Albion who found the extra energy in the heat, crossing twice more late on to seal the win.
The win leaves Mirfield four adrift of Keighley, who top the table, but with a game in hand.
Photo – James Winterburn Photography
