North One East: Bridlington 8 Bradford & Bingley 18

MUCH-changed Bradford & Bingley travelled to the east coast more in hope than expectation, knowing that they needed some sort of result at Bridlington as the Wagon Lane side were still perilously close to the relegation places in North One East.

However, it seemed right from the kick off that any worries about the visitors being underpowered were completely unfounded as the Bees, led for the first time by hooker Mat Cochrane, were fully up to the task in hand.

Within two minutes, Tom Cummins had slotted a penalty to get the scoreboard moving, and the Bees were eight points to the good after eight minutes as James Morton powered over out wide.

A problem the Bees have had all season is that they have no regular kicker who can bang over the extra points to stretch a lead, and although the Bees outscored their hosts three tries to one, none of those scores were converted and Bridlington were always in contention and looked threatening whenever they mounted an attack.

Long gone are the days when the Bees had a Tom Rhodes or Gavin Stead in their ranks who could land 250 points a season and stretch narrow leads into more comfortable margins simply by landing their kicks, and finding a top-class kicker must be a priority over the summer.

However, the visitors' defence was terrific throughout and there was a real snap in the tackle as Morton, Inoke Finau and Jack Malthouse all put in a great defensive shift in the Bees backline to keep the home three- quarters at bay.

With skipper Tom Booth on the sidelines with a torn bicep and two of the Bees coaching team, Martin Whitcombe and Ali MacDonald, unable to attend the game, it was Booth and first-team manager Benji Pickin who were calling the shots from the touchline.

The Bees also needed other players to manage the game with Booth on the wrong side of the whitewash, and Ryan Wederell was one player who stepped up, and his tireless work in the trenches was rewarded with a 28th-minute try as the Bees pack collectively flopped over the line, with Wederell being the last man in possession.

That score acted as the best possible response to a score for the home side three minutes earlier.

Just before half-time, Bridlington added to their score with a penalty and it was 13-8 to the West Yorkshire side as the sides turned round.

The Bees lost Benny Greaves to a nasty-looking head injury midway through the first half, but the Bees were able to call on Richard Tafa to replace Greaves at scrum half.

Number nine is not a position you would associate with the veteran Tongan, but his presence behind the pack gave the Bees forwards added momentum as he effectively became an additional loose forward, and when the ball was in his hands it was almost guaranteed that his side would get over the gain line and the ball would be safely recycled.

The Bees' other Tongan, Finau, had his most effective game of the season in a Bees shirt, bashing into the heart of the home defence to some good effect, but also stopping the threat of his opposite number.

It was a break from Finau that set up Bradford & Bingley's game-winning score as he broke down the blindside and slipped the ball to Malthouse.

It was still not an easy run-in for Malthouse as two Bridlington defenders blocked his path to the line. However, some nice footwork and a dab on the accelerator saw the Bees centre over the whitewash for a five-point reward.

There was a certain amount of niggle between the packs which threatened to flare up from time to time, but perhaps that touch of abrasiveness worked in the Bees favour as they never backed away from defensive duties and countered every advance from the home side with an equally robust response.

The win means that the Bees now need only one point from their two remaining fixtures to guarantee their place in North One East next season.