National League Three North: Cleckheaton 17 Rossendale 19

BEATEN 57-15 away last October, I don’t know if tenth-placed Cleckheaton would have taken a losing bonus point before kick-off in the return fixture.

What I do know is that they were disappointed to lose, having led going into injury time and also having a kick to win it at the death.

“Training has been awesome for the past two weeks and we have a couple of lads back from injury so we are a bit gutted to lose,” said Cleckheaton left winger Ollie Depledge.

“We lost it due to our own errors, our own mistakes, such as allowing them to score midway through the second half just after retaking the lead.

“But otherwise we moved the ball around well and kicked it so that we were playing the game in their half, which was our tactic, and we have only just lost to a team that are second in the table.”

Cleckheaton made a decent start, even though they were missing too many tackles in the visitors’ half and were reliant on Rossendale knocking on when running from deep, sich as when full back Curtis Strong went on a gallop.

Scrum half Jack Bickerdike showed the home side’s intent from a tap and go penalty, slotting a grubber kick on the diagonal to make good ground towards the scoreboard.

Eventually the home side, who had taken off back-rowers Joey Carley and Brad Marsden early doors for Jack Seddon and Tom Austin, received two successive penalty advantages, with fly half Neil Chivers putting them in prime attacking position by kicking for touch in the left-hand corner.

Having been awarded another penalty advantage by referee Peter Stentiford, Cleckheaton moved the ball right, with a long pass putting winger Josh Hall over in the 15th minute.

The try-scorer’s conversion threatened the posts without going over but Rossendale fly half James Bramhall then missed a straightforward penalty.

His colleagues missed a try-scoring opportunity on the right in the 35th minute after home centre Lee Queeley jumped into the line looking for an interception, with a wild pass sailing into touch with two visitors waiting.

Visiting lock Reece Tomlinson was then sin-binned for interference in the line-out but Cleckheaton could not take advantage, with Hall’s long-range penalty attempt later hitting the crossbar in the last action of the half, just minutes after Stentiford had spoken to both skippers Richard Piper (Cleckheaton) and flanker Dominic Moon.

Centre Jack Ward was the last Rossendale player to embark on a long, weaving run before knocking on in the first half, but the yellow card for Queeley five minutes into the second half for a no-arms tackle did enable Rossendale to cash in.

Three minutes later, Ward went over on the left for Bramhall to convert.

Hall missed a kickable penalty in the 51st minute but the hosts took the lead six minutes later with a sweet try, Hall entering the line at speed before a well-timed pass helped Depledge, who prefers playing centre, to go over.

The conversion was again missed but Cleckheaton’s concentration was poor as they allowed full back Curtis Strong to gather a kick downfield from the kick-off and weave his way at pace through the entire home defence to score.

Bramhall’s conversion made it 14-10 but Cleckheaton looked as if they had snatched victory when No 8 Richard Piper scored in the 70th minute after deft work in midfield by Matt Piper and a kick downfield by replacement Ronan Evans, whose conversion put them 17-14 ahead.

However, with time ebbing away, Cleckheaton prop Paul Turner was sin-binned for hands in the ruck, and Rossendale again made them pay for being a man light, with powerful No 8 Ryan McKibbin scoring two minutes into stoppage time, which unleashed wild Rossendale celebrations.

Now trailing by two points, the hosts still had a chance to win it but Evans’ penalty attempt three minutes later, from between the ten-metre line and halfway line, sailed just wide of the far post.

It will be a long time before man of the match Depledge next sees action as he is having an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on his right leg.

The mechanical engineer said: “I am all right when I am running in a straight line, but not when I am twisting and turning and could be out for up to two years.

“But, having come back from travelling in Australia in October, I am now off to New Zealand in March doing the same thing!”