STAFFORD 1st XV vs WOLVERHAMPTON 1st XV. 13th FEBRUARY 2016.

Stafford 13 – 7 Wolverhampton

With the last home league game of February 2016 arriving Stafford looked to continue the unbeaten home run. The travelling Wolverhampton XV had another agenda and bolstered by historic results along with an impressive third place league position they looked to be another formidable challenge for the county town side.

Wolverhampton started the game in typical bullish fashion earning a penalty in the first few minutes which could have put points on the board but dropped short of the posts. The visitors built on the momentum as Stafford dug in on their own line, a five minute exchange saw the relentless Black Country attack blunted by the immovable Staffordshire defence. The game continued to be played in the Stafford half and the pressure was increased when a yellow card saw the home side reduced to 14. A seven man set of forwards dug deep and started to find some success against the charging Wolverhampton eight absorbing the ferocious assault. More disruption came through a second yellow card which reduced stalwart Stafford to 13 and the forwards to six but the reduced defence just fought harder to hold the line. With 14 players back on the pitch Stafford started to mount a few attacks, but when a substitution was made, the substitute lasted less than five minutes before becoming the third recipient of a yellow card. With the home side back down to 13 with a six man set of forwards Wolverhampton piled on the pressure, but the defence remained solid and when Stafford were bolstered back up to 14 the half fizzled out into deadlock. Stafford went into half time drawing with no points on the board but having played the majority of the half with only 6 or 7 forwards.

With the team back up to a full complement of 15, Stafford started to build some momentum and Wolverhampton were forced back into defence. A bright period of play ended in a Stafford penalty which Rich Martin slotted between the posts for the first points of the game. Wolverhampton rolled the play back up the field through their forwards and set out to besiege the home side line. Stafford defended as strongly as Wolverhampton attacked, but the referees whistle ended the period of play with a penalty try to gift the visitors the lead. This galvanised the county town side and they started to carve large holes in the visitors defence as they chased the game. A missed penalty could have drawn the scores back together, but the momentum was shifting with the weight of marauding home side display. The assault was led by Carl Williams into a ferocious period of play that saw Angus Lennon at the bottom of a pile for a Stafford try and the lead. The restart kick off saw the attack immediately resumed, Dean Ainger finding the room to release a flying Tom Windibank who outpaced the opposition to take the second try and increase the lead. Wolverhampton fought back but couldn’t penetrate an unassailable Stafford defensive performance. The final whistle saw both teams showing signs of a bruising encounter with another great home win for the Stafford warriors.