STAFFORD DEVELOPMENT vs. SHREWSBURY 2ND XV. 27th September 2014.

Shrewsbury 7 – Stafford 18

Stafford development team journeyed across the border into Shropshire for a league fixture against Shrewsbury. Stafford were looking to get their league away form back on track following the recent loss against Stoke.

Pressure early in the game, from Stafford, allowed Rich Watling to batter through the Shrewsbury defence and across the line for a try, giving the visitors the lead. Stafford could have extended the lead through a few penalty opportunities, but the posts remained elusive.

The second half saw Stafford maintain a high work rate and a great break from Dave Wain saw the ball offloaded to Dean Ainger for the visitors second try of the afternoon, Chris Newell taking the conversion. A big Stafford scrum destroyed what was left of the Shrewsbury forwards and the rest of the game had to be played as uncontested scrums. Shrewsbury managed to snatch a converted try to narrow the lead, but two successive penalty kicks by Chris Newell underpinned a good victory for the travelling Stafford side.