Goole End Selby's Winning Streak

The early season Selby juggernaut was brought to a grinding halt on Saturday by a Goole team bouncing back from their disappointing performance the previous week. Their 28 – 16 win, depriving Selby of any points as they failed to get a try bonus point for the first time this season.
Following heavy rain over the previous 48 hours it took a large, dedicated team of members and players to clear the pitch of standing water throughout the morning in order for the game to go ahead. Their efforts being rewarded with a well-deserved victory for Goole in front of a bumper crowd. Goole welcomed the return of the injured Jack Smith, Connor Walker and Matty Lill to compensate for the loss of Eddie Newsum. With Rhys Moore back at scrum half and Lill at off-half, it was a relatively new partnership, as was the 2nd row of Jack Smith and James Chantry. Ollie Pearson returned on the wing and yet another first team debutant Ollie Raynor was on the bench.

It was a bit of a low-key start to the game with both sides coming to terms with the slippery underfoot conditions and the wet ball with Goole getting the first opportunity for points with a penalty kick at goal that just drifted wide of the posts. The disappointment did not last too long for the Goole supporters as Jack Smith went on the first of many rampaging runs into the Selby half forcing the away team to give away a penalty that was kicked to the corner for an attacking lineout to Goole. Good possession from the throw and a drive to the try line being stopped illegally by the Selby defenders. Raymond Coates took a quick tap and went over for the first try of the match to open the scoring for Goole. The conversion was unsuccessful leaving Goole with an early 5 – 0 lead after ten minutes of the game. Selby responding almost immediately with a successful penalty to bring the score to 5 – 3. With both sides now conceding penalties due to the difficult conditions, it was left to the kickers to keep the scoreboard turning over with two successful Selby penalties and just one for Goole to bring the score to 8 – 9 after 23mins of the game.
With handling conditions difficult it was no surprise that kicking became a key feature of the game with both teams seeking to force an error by the opposition. Selby found themselves a man down after a yellow card for a high tackle and this allowed the home side to apply pressure on the Selby defence with a deft kick to the corner by Moore resulting in a 5m scrum and a Goole put-in. With good possession from the scrum Goole again put pressure on the Selby defence that resulted in a penalty which Moore successfully kicked to regain a lead that Goole would retain for the rest of the match, 11 – 9 with ten minutes of the half remaining. Whilst Selby were now back to a full complement of players following the first yellow card, that did not last too long as the very next play resulted in another yellow card as Selby conceded their 13th penalty of the first half. The successful kick by Moore giving Goole a 14 – 9 half time lead with first team debutant, Ollie Raynor coming on for Connor Walker for the second half.
With Selby kicking directly into touch after receiving the restart, the Goole lineout gave them the start they wanted with good line-out possession from the impressive James Chantry. This enabled Goole to apply early pressure and forcing Selby to give away a penalty that resulted in their third yellow card in the match for another high tackle. Disappointingly, Moore’s kick was missed letting Selby off the hook.
Despite Selby being a man down in the scrum they continued to more than match the home team pack as they got the nudge following the put-in, but after a couple of phases Goole turned the ball over with Jack Smith in possession on halfway bursting through the initial line of defenders charging down field with brother Sam in support. With just the fullback to beat and a try looking inevitable, the defender managed to get a hand on the ball and prevent a try due to the delayed pass. With the Goole supporters crying out for a deliberate knock on and penalty try, the only reward they got was the put in at the scrum for a knock on by the defender. However, the respite did not last long as Goole maintained the pressure inside the Selby 22 with a quick tap from another penalty being popped to Matty Tink Taylor at close range, and a second Goole try resulted. The successful conversion stretching Goole’s lead to 21 – 9 after just 11 mins of the second half.
With Selby now back to full strength, their eight-man scrum put the Goole pack under some pressure and won a penalty in mid field that they kicked to the corner for an attacking lineout. The predictable catch and drive being held up by the Goole defence and a goal line drop out resulted handing possession back to Selby who ran hard at the Goole defence but knocked on in the tackle to give Goole the scrum put in with Louis Sugden now on at prop in place of Jason Blanchard.
With high kicks exchanged by both teams a resulting penalty again allowed Selby to kick into the Goole 22 for a line out as they looked for the score they needed to get back into the game. Unfortunately for them the over-thrown line out was caught at the tail by the rampaging Jack Smith who set off on another 60m charge downfield knocking would be tacklers off one by one. He was finally stopped just outside the Selby 22 with the recycled ball being moved firstly to the right and then to the left back into Jack Smith’s hands. The trademark drive taking him through the defensive tackles to go over for a third Goole try of the match. Rhys Moore’s successful conversion stretching the home team lead to 28 – 9 with 18mins of the match to go. Goole changes now brought Will Devenish on at scrum half with Rhys Moore going to off half and an overall backline reshuffle with Connor Walker also returning to the back row.
If Selby were to get anything out of this match, they needed to get some points on the board asap as they pushed hard in search of points against the tough tackling Goole defenders. The pressure told in the end as Goole were now being penalised with hooker Coates being yellow carded for persistent infringements as Goole defended their line. Now defending a 5m scrum, Goole had to reorganise their scrum as the Selby pack drove forward at such a pace they were in the wrong gear and subsequently left the ball behind as they charged to the line. The Selby scum half trying to do what he could with the loose ball was immediately under pressure from Will Devenish who forced a knock on that allowed Goole to clear their lines.
With time running out for Selby, they pressed hard against determined Goole resistance and finally unlocked the defence with good handling in the difficult conditions. Running the ball from their own 22 following a scrum, they benefited from a nice rebound but got the ball to their speedy winger on the halfway line to slip the initial tackle and round the last defender to score their only try of the game. The successful conversion being the final score of the game and a well-deserved win for the home team 28 – 16.
The post-match analysis will certainly see the yellow cards received by Selby as being a key factor in the outcome of the game, but overall, it was the home team that had the desire and commitment to secure the win. Selby will also be disappointed after conceding almost twice the number of penalties than Goole with the majority being linked to the breakdown where Goole have excelled in previous games this season. With a Yorkshire Cup game rematch arranged for Saturday 25th November, Selby will be looking to gain revenge for the defeat with the home fixture in front of another bumper crowd. It promises to be another feisty affair.