Mirfield Spartans have booked their place in the end-of-season play-offs after two wins in the space of four days at Frank Middleton Park – and now have their eyes on finishing top of the table.
Having gone more than a month without a fixture, Spartans packed two matches into a hectic week, edging King Cross Park 24-22 on Wednesday evening before beating local rivals Moldgreen 34-12 on Saturday afternoon.
And there is no let-up in sight, with Thornhill Trojans the visitors to Frank Middleton Park this coming Wednesday in what is shaping up to be a decisive week in the race for the title.
It was Spartans’ first game since mid-July and their first at home since 16 May, but there was no early sign of ring rust as they forced an error at the kick-off and then a drop-out, before Spencer Peel powered onto Josh Willcock’s flat pass to drive over. Kian Morgan’s conversion made it 6-0.
The lay-off did start to tell soon after, with a gifted possession and a wasted chance letting King Cross break through midfield and level at 6-6, which is how it stayed until the break.
Spartans came out fast in the second half, Morgan and Lewis Martin both crossing to open up a 16-6 lead, but again failed to consolidate. King Cross punished some sloppy defending with two tries of their own and one conversion from two levelled things at 16-16.
Spartans responded immediately, forcing an error from the restart before Jordan Paga sped over from the scrum, and Martin was on hand to grab his second after supporting a close-range chip and collecting Alfie Copley’s pass. Both kicks were missed to leave it 24-16, and indiscipline allowed King Cross to add a converted try to cut the gap to two, but the hosts held out for a hard-earned win.
That result confirmed a top-four finish and lifted Spartans above Moldgreen into second, who they’d face three days later, as Spartans returned to Frank Middleton Park in hot conditions and in front of another big crowd, seeking revenge for their opening-day defeat at Moldgreen.
Playing towards the Slipper Lane end, James Willcock put them ahead with a trademark try before Morgan added a second for a 10-0 lead. But Moldgreen showed their quality to hit back with two converted tries and went in at half-time 12-10 up.
The visitors refused to go away after the break either, but the pressure eventually told as Spartans ran in four unanswered second-half tries. Morgan followed up a kick for his second of the afternoon, Jordan Rice ran a good line to step past his man and touch down under the posts, Lewis Toner added to his season’s tally and Dylan Waterworth marked his return to the side with a try of his own.
Waterworth was also in fine form with the boot, landing all four second-half goals as Spartans pulled away with 24 unanswered points to complete a 22-point win.
The victory strengthened Spartans’ hold on a top-two spot with four games remaining, and moved them two points closer to leaders Keighley Albion, who were beaten by Thornhill Trojans on the same afternoon – blowing the race for top spot wide open.
Those same Trojans stand between Spartans and another two points on Wednesday night, and with the play-offs already secured, the prize on offer in the coming weeks is a bigger one: a top-of-the-table finish and, through the play-offs, the incentive of promotion to National Conference League Division One.
Photo – James Winterburn Photography
