“There’s far too much talk about good ball and bad ball. Good ball is when you’ve got it. Bad ball is when they have it.”
– Dickie Jeeps, former England international (and clearly a man who’s seen our defence on an off day)

After last week’s win, Wythenshawe hit the road to Dukinfield, full of confidence and hoping to keep the momentum rolling. The squad was looking strong with 18 lads ready to go – even after a few late dropouts. Great to see Reece Cleary and Stuart Watson back in the mix too after some time away!

The game kicked off… and for the first 40 minutes, it felt like we’d left the tackling back in Wythenshawe. Dukinfield came out flying, scoring once, twice, three times… well, let’s just say a few more times too – taking a 38–0 lead at half-time.

Half-time team talk? A mix of encouragement, disbelief, and the usual “right lads, let’s just play our game” pep talk. A few changes were made, and the second half got going… with Dukinfield adding another couple before Shawe decided to actually join in the fun.

From a scrum, Adam McLoughlin spotted a gap, went for it, and just as he was about to get clattered, he flicked a perfect offload to the charging Jake Farrell, who thundered through to score our first try. Jake’s now on 4 in 4 — someone get him a contract!

After another Dukinfield try, Shawe struck again. Mikey Kilcourse picked up from the base of the scrum, burst through, popped it to Adam, who set up Alex Birkett to dive in at the corner — 58–10.

We weren’t done yet. From another scrum, the ball went Mikey ➡️ Adam ➡️ Jake (again) ➡️ chaos. Jake got smashed but Adam was straight on it, picked up, darted through, and then slipped a beautiful pass to Lewis Fearon, who stormed over under the sticks. Mikey slotted the extras — 58–17. Comeback on? Almost… until Dukinfield said “nah” and finished things off for a final score of 72–17.

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? Special Mentions
• Oli Scott – absolutely unreal in defence. Made a try-saving tackle that not only stopped a score but won the ball too.
• Jack Flanagan – work rate through the roof, tackling everything that moved and running hard all game.
• Alex Birkett – strong performance despite carrying an injury and still got himself a try.
• Adam McLoughlin – set up all three tries and put in a real shift in both attack and defence.
• Jake Farrell – four tries in four games now. On fire.

? Man of the Match: Mikey Kilcourse – sharp thinking, fast feet, and constantly getting Shawe on the front foot.

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The lads now get a couple of weekends off before going again. Training continues, and Coach Adam will be working on ironing out a few (okay, maybe more than a few) things before we’re back at Painswick Park on 8th November to welcome Buxton — kick-off 2pm.

Bring your voices, your coats, and maybe a prayer book for the defence. ? ??