Wasteful Moderns rue missed chances!
Nottingham Moderns 20 West Bridgford 20
If there were any neutrals amongst the large crowd that gathered for this Nottingham derby then they would have left satisfied at the game they saw but once again the diehard Moderns faithful can only ask “what if” as once again the home side failed to kill off their opponents.
In perfect playing conditions and with a couple of key players back and changes made due to injuries Moderns started in a very positive mood and were rewarded early as a sustained amount of pressure on the visitors defence saw several well structured phases create a huge gap in the Bridgford defence which allowed the Moderns fullback to open the scoring within 2 minutes. The conversion was missed but the start gave Moderns a huge boost.
With training focussing on ball retention and running lines in recent weeks Moderns were playing confidently and their willingness to throw the ball around in the search for space paid dividends as Bridgford were repeatedly stretched out wide. A try for centre Gubb was ruled out for a forward pass and other opportunities went begging as their execution in attack let the home side down on a few occasions but the lead was extended when prolific winger Max Trimble doubled the lead with another smartly taken try. Once again the conversion was missed and with a penalty attempt striking the upright Moderns were starting to regret the lack of a recognised kicker.
Half time came with the home side in control but with some of the more cynical members of the crowd asking if the missed opportunities would later haunt the home side the players were encouraged to start the second half in the same way as they had the first.
This message clearly struck home as in a replica of the first half Moderns scored within 2 minutes when centre Gubb finished smartly putting the home side in a commanding 15 nil lead. Once again the conversion was missed.
With the game now there for the taking and the home spectators looking for Moderns to go on and finish the game in style the opposite happened and Bridgford started to edge their way back into the game.
Their first contribution to the score board was a penalty in front of the posts but they reduced the deficit by 7 points moments later when the home scrum half gifted a pass to the visiting centre who had the simplest of tasks in placing the ball down. With an easy conversion it was quickly 15-10.
With the visitors now buoyed on by the home sides inability to play any form of recognised pattern and countless errors Bridgford stuck to their task well and enjoyed a 20 minute period of domination which not only saw them equalise but extend the lead to 20-15. With the visitors now in control and the clock ticking towards the 80 minute mark Moderns were down and out but in their credit the draw was secured when the fullback crossed wide in the corner to level the match and secure a 4 try bonus point. With the conversion to come the crowd waited in anticipation but once again the Moderns kicker kept up his 100% miss rate seeing the game end a draw.
Moderns certainly played their get out of jail free card but with 11 points missed from kicks and tries going begging from forward passes the half time cynics were very accurate in their predictions of not killing off the opposition earlier.
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