GOOLE VIKINGS 32 SWINTON LIONS 28
IAN RIGG, Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Saturday

GOOLE kept up their good home form with a fourth win in their last five here.

But this was a very close victory over Swinton and a game that could have gone either way in a dramatic finish.

The Vikings trailed by two points heading into the final five minutes after Jordan Brown and Gav Rodden tries turned the game on its head.

Despite having Harry Aldous put in the sin bin for dissent following the latter try, Goole recovered a short restart and Keenen Tomlinson scored a winning effort.

Ball handling let both sides down in the early stages, but little did they know it was going to turn out as a bit of a classic and a real treat for the fans with five tries scored apiece – the difference ultimately being Jack Miller’s perfect six goals, including a penalty, to Jack Stevens’ four.

The Vikings took the lead on 16 minutes when Morgan Punchard burst through the Lions’ defence down the middle to feed Will Brough, making his debut after signing from Leigh, who crossed on the left.

Goole then made a handling error at the kick-off which allowed Swinton a ten-metre play-the-ball, from which Stevens crossed on the right.

Liam Watts crashed under the posts in response, then Aldous went over eight minutes from the break after a nice pass from Callum Rutland.

But the Lions responded with back-to-back tries by Bobby Shingler, his first touchdowns of the season, which made it a two-point game at the break with Goole 18-16 ahead.

Swinton put further pressure on the Goole line from the start of the second half but a lost ball put the Vikings back on the attack and Rutland went over on the right.

Miller, whose perfect kicking meant the hosts now led by eight, then added a penalty-goal when both teams decided to fight, making it ten.

But there was plenty more action to come in the closing stages, starting with Trent Kelly-Duffy being sent to the sin bin for dissent.

The Lions were now applying more and more pressure on the line, and they hit back on 70 minutes when Ah Van sent out a lovely short pass for Brown to crash in.

Three minutes later, the Vikings lost the ball in their own 20 and a couple of passes later Rodden scored on the left, with Stevens’ pair of conversions putting his side ahead for the first time.

Aldous was sent to the sin bin for throwing the ball just after Rodden scored, yet Miller sent a short restart, Goole retrieved possession and Tomlinson finished off a move in the right corner.

The last minute was very frantic as Swinton got the ball back and attempted a ‘Wide to West’ moment. Despite conceding a penalty for offside, the Vikings managed to hold out for victory.

GAMESTAR: Callum Rutland scored a try and set up another for Harry Aldous.

GAMEBREAKER: Keenen Tomlinson’s try with four minutes left turned out to be the winner.

MATCHFACTS

VIKINGS
1 Josh Guzdek
2 Tom Halliday
3 Cooper Howlett
52 Will Brough
5 Callum Shaw
22 Callum Rutland
7 Jack Miller
30 Liam Watts
51 Morgan Punchard
49 Owen Haldenby
11 Brett Ferres
13 Harry Aldous
9 Jeylan Hodgson
Subs (all used)
4 Keenen Tomlinson
10 Tyler Craig
14 Oliver Morgan
17 Jack Coventry

Tries: Brough (16), Watts (25), H Aldous (32), Rutland (44), Tomlinson (76)
Goals: Miller 6/6
Sin bin: H Aldous (73) – dissent

LIONS
7 Jack Stevens
3 Ellis Anderson
4 Aaron Lynch
20 Adam Jones
5 Harry Higham
34 Patrick Ah Van
6 Reece Briers
22 Jordan Brown
21 Tom Ratchford
10 Ben Killan
11 Gav Rodden
28 Dylan Kelly-Duffy
17 Trent Kelly-Duffy
Subs (all used)
15 Jamie Reddecliff
18 Bobby Shingler
30 Rhyley Hyde
38 Mike Porter

Tries: Stevens (18), Shingler (35, 38), Brown (70), Rodden (73)
Goals: Stevens 4/5
Sin bin: T Kelly-Duffy (65) – dissent

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-4, 12-4, 18-4, 18-10, 18-16; 24-16, 26-16, 26-22, 26-28, 32-28

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Vikings: Callum Rutland; Lions: Dylan Kelly-Duffy

Penalty count: 7-9
Half-time: 18-16
Referee: Matthew Clayton