Percy Park 13, Bradford & Bingley 21

Bradford & Bingley reached the halfway point in their SSE National League Three North season yesterday and delivered arguably their finest performance so far.

They upset the formbook completely by claiming the scalp of a side who had previously been unbeaten at home and are the only side to beat leaders Chester.

It wasn't a pretty performance by any means, but no points are given for style in this league and the Bees won comfortably by draining the life out of the home side.

They controlled the ball and territory effectively and didn't turn over ball in positions where Percy Park might be able to construct a counter attack in broken play.

The control started up front in the pack, but the trio of Phil Greaves, Richard Tafa and Henry Paul kept a firm grip in the middle of the park and did everything with a simple effeciency.

That midfield triumvirate may have an aggregate age into three figures, but the guile and experience of the wiser heads in the Bees backline was possibly the key to the win as Paul and Greaves particularly distributed the ball superbly, while Tafa is always a menace when bullocking forward.

The Bees opened the scoring on nine minutes as flanker Chris Fisher was on the shoulder of Paul, who had slipped between two defenders to make a half break and put Fisher in under the sticks.

Fisher has not featured in a league fixture for three seasons for Bradford & Bingley due to work commitments, but slotted in alongside Dan Cookson, another long-term absentee, like he had not missed a game.

As the Bees kept up their stranglehold, they were unlucky to be denied a second score as Paul again shimmied clear of the home defence only for the referee to stop the game as Ryan Wederell and a home forward exchanged a difference of opinion away from the ball and were both sin-binned.

However, the home side pulled back a score before the interval and then took the lead as the half closed.

The Bees had played the first half with the elements behind them, so the second half looked challenging as they faced an unbeaten side now playing with the wind at their backs.

But the challenge never really materialised as the Bees stuck to the game-plan and continued to squeeze the home side.

Skipper Guy Ford thought he had added a score from close range, only to see the referee signal he was held up over the line.

As Ford continued to remonstrate with the official, the five-metre scrum to Bradford & Bingley became a penalty to Percy Park, and it may have been another one of those key moments in a game that changes the result which have so dogged the Bees this term.

However, the decision did not affect how they played and it was business as usual as the Wagon Lane men recycled the ball through 14 phases of possession before scrum half Richard Scull burrowed over from near the line.

The same player added his second conversion of the afternoon and the visitors were back in front and looking comfortably in control.

The home side did manage to slot a penalty but that was their only score of the second period.

The Bees then underlined their superiority up front with another forward rumble which saw Brett Mitchell plough over from short distance.