The festive break will bring little in the way of cheer for Tech. With the four key games in the run up to Christmas now completed, the Wiltshire Way club have returned just one victory from this sequence. With it being widely accepted that at least two wins were required to maintain a good chance of survival in the new year the fact that Tech have managed just the one win would suggest that the club’s days in Durham & Northumberland’s elite league are numbered. Even more so given the fact that Tech’s performance on Saturday, whilst not being their poorest of the season, had relegation written all over it.

But it all came after the Hartlepool team had again made a bright start. The visitors took the lead in the fourth minute when inside centre Carr slotted a penalty but, encouragingly, Tech hit back and a mere two minutes later front rower Andrew Thompson was on hand to score following a good drive from the home side. But Tech’s inability to utilise a wealth of possession and territory has hung around Grayfields like a bad smell for much of this season and on Saturday the lack of a killer instinct was there for all to see once more. Attack after attack was repelled though it has to be said a litter of careless mistakes from the home team aided the visitors cause. The bad signs were erupting ominously from the field of play and when, on 27 minutes, Jon Cole missed a penalty kick, the kind of which every place kicker has nightmares about, it almost seemed inevitable that it wasn’t going to be Tech’s day.

This feeling was confirmed further shortly after the break when North Shields overturned their 2 point half time deficit with a try from O’Connor following good execution of a lineout. Then just 6 minutes later the Northumbrians opened up a 8 point lead with a try from McFarlane after a series of scrums close to the Tech line.

With the game quickly slipping away from the hosts it seemed a comfortable win for North Shields was on the cards. But full credit to Tech as they took the game back to the visitors and after much perseverance Alex Best found his way to the line after good work from the home pack.

Cole’s missed conversion left the game delicately poised going into the final 10 minutes but North Shields were not to be denied as they camped in the Tech half for the remainder of the game and having had three, 5 meter scrums repelled by Tech they overturned a home scrum and from close range, Elliot crashed over to seal the win.

And so, what now for Tech? The defeat leaves them 6 points clear of safety and although their for/against difference may do them a favour should they equal the points of the 10^th placed team, it is difficult to see where Tech will pull three wins from. There best chances of victory, one feels, are against the teams immediately above them, Acklam and Redcar, but these two games do not come till the very end of the season with Acklam and Redcar being Tech’s penultimate and final fixture respectively. By then it may be too late for salvation. There are games between now and then that Tech could, arguably, win but it seems that all Tech can do at the moment is run teams close. The players cannot be faulted entirely as most of the time the performances are full of heart, effort and no lack of trying but there is no denying that Tech lack firepower of any kind behind the scrum. Their useful pack means they can battle, resist and be a nuisance to teams but once their forward power is negated their limitations are horribly exposed.

Only time will tell as to whether Tech do go down. But, on the day that the sun set for the final time on D&N1 league rugby in 2005, it looks likely that history will show it as the day that it also set on Tech’s fight against relegation.

Tech 10

Tries: Thompson (6), Best (65)

North Shields 18

Tries: O’Connor (47), McFarlane (53), Elliot (80)

Pen: Carr (4)

Tech

Knight, Foster, Donelly, Corrigan, Cole, Cheshire, Williamson, Thompson, Dixon, Howard, Smart, Wray, Best, Hunter, Stockdale, Reps: Parker, Campbell, Dickenson

North Shields

Austin, C Newcombe, Lamb, Carr, Rendles, Thompson, Bottomley, Lemmon, Irving, O’Connor, McFarlane, Elliot, Parker, M Newcombe, Hansen, Reps: Leitch, Taylor, Greenwood

Referee: Ken Hudson (Durham)