SSE North One East: Bradford & Bingley 22 Ilkley 39

BRADFORD Salem v Bradford & Bingley – a fixture that was unthinkable in 2006-07 when the Bees were in National League Two (third tier) and the Heaton club in Yorkshire Division One (seventh tier) is looming closer.

While the Shay Laners seem a promotion banker in Yorkshire Division Two, it is still more open to conjecture as to whether the Bees will be relegated for a second straight season.

They are at rock-bottom Horden next Saturday, and, even allowing for the Wagon Laners' travel sickness, they have to believe they can win that fixture and collect a bonus point.

The Bees are currently in the highest of the relegation berths, trailing Northern by six points, but three of Bradford & Bingley's four matches after next weekend are at home, two against teams in the current bottom half (Alnwick and West Hartlepool).

There seems nothing wrong with the Bees' team spirit or effort but a more troubling feature is their lack of discipline as they were given three yellow cards by referee Stephen Penford against promotion-chasing Ilkley – one to No 8 Greg Whately after seven minutes and two to winger Adam Wellington (17 minutes and 57 minutes).

Bees player-coach Stuart Dixon said: "The turning point was probably the sin-binnings in the first half because when we were down to 13 men they scored a seven-point try.

"By the letter of the law, the referee was right to send Adam off as his second yellow stopped a try but the tackle started on the chest and rode up as their player tried to wriggle free.

"If it was up to me I would ban Adam for a game but we have to ban him until the next RFU disciplinary hearing, and I don't know when that is.

"But the big difference was that we lacked a little bit of accuracy. Ilkley are the best team in our league and they scored with most of their chances whereas we only scored two out of five. However, we are not in a panic situation as far as survival is concerned."

Ilkley coach Rhys Morgan said: "The Bees said it couldn't get any worse than when we beat them at our place in November. Well it has as we have beaten them away as well!

"They have some strong runners in the centre in Richard Tafa and Stuart Dixon and some big lads in the pack and we made some errors and they came back into it but we kept our discipline.

"However, we might take action for an off-the-ball incident involving Richard Tafa if it has been captured on our video."

Richard Scull put the hosts ahead with a second-minute penalty and fly half Shaun Driver added a snap drop goal in the 15th minute but Ilkley were generally in charge as they built up a 21-6 lead via fly half Josh Kimber reaching out for the try line and adding the conversion in the seventh minute, as he did later in the half to tries by scrum half Tom Collard (18 minutes) and right winger JH Johnson (28 minutes).

The Bees hit back with a second Scull penalty and a try by improving full back Adam Mitchell to trail only 21-14 at half-time, and Scull started the second half scoring with a third penalty.

However, Ilkley, who are now only a point behind Sheffield after the latter's shock 18-17 defeat at Old Crossleyans, had the better of the final 30 minutes.

With their half-backs and wingers forming were a potent quartet, Kimber slotted a penalty and converted a penalty try in the 57th minute after Wellington had felled Paul Petchey to earn that second yellow.

Petchey got on the scoresheet in the 76th minute after the Bees had been slow to scoop up a loose ball, Kimber converting, after Dixon had run a nice line to get the Bees' second try in the 62nd minute.