Making a point?

By Leipziger
September 28 2010

The Falcons’ reserves ended September in a way the first team will hope to avoid seeing out October, with a defeat to Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens.

On a grey, wet evening the Eye of Sauron to the west of the stadium was eerily shrouded in thin cloud, making for a scenic backdrop to this A League match before darkness enveloped the Midlands.

Newcastle started with Jeremy Manning (at full-back), Rob Vickerman, James Fitzpatrick, Danny Williams, Kieran Brookes and Glen Townson all looking to put their hands up for the first team this Saturday.  Former Falcon Mark Sorensen was named in the home side but did not play in the end, though Stephen Myler and Matt Cornwell started alongside Mark Easter and Scotland’s Euan Murray.

The first few minutes were riddled with aimless aerial ping-pong from both sides, however once that settled down we saw a thrilling game.  Northampton got the first chance from a quick free kick in midfield, but knocked-on in front of the posts.  Harry Peck knocked on from our scrum but confusingly it was reset.

The haloed Wanderers won against the head through and Tom Hicks seemed to be clean through, but play was brought back for a home penalty easily knocked over by Myler.

Following an error-strewn Northampton lineout we stole and spread the play but Joe Graham dropped the ball.  Brookes and Myles Scott charged on big runs to set up Manning on the right who knocked on in the tackle, but we forced a penalty from the resultant scrum for Joel Hodgson to level the scores.

Greig Tonks looked to have scored the night’s first try despite a tap tackle by Manning knocking him over, but he must have dropped.

We broke upfield and Williams, in one of his last actions before being replaced with Chris Pilgrim (or, if you believe the announcer, James Hall), hacked forward on the right and forced a lineout, but we messed up the long throw.

Hodgson gave the Falcons the lead though with a 35-metre penalty.  The advantage didn’t last long – Mike Hayward broke through slack tackling to score the opening try, which Myler converted.

Hodgson then missed his next penalty attempt following good work by Townson, leaving us 10-6 down at the break.

At half-time Mungo Strachan and Andrew Archibald replaced Graham and Townson.  Just two minutes into the second period, Manning kicked a penalty from 45 metres for Northampton not rolling away.

Joe Ford restored his side’s four-point lead quickly though.

The small number of Geordies in the 1,000-plus crowd got excited when we charged down a lazy kick on halfway and two Falcons chased but the referee, eventually but correctly, gave a knock-on.

The Wanderers were next to score thanks to a fast run down the right by Jamie Elliott.  He passed inside to Tonks, who Luke Fielden tried (and miserably failed) to stop by seemingly just having the centre run into him, no arms or anything, and the conversion by Ford put the hosts 20-9 up.  Quiet until then, Fielden was immediately replaced with Grant Connon.

Coming up to the hour, the Falcons took control, using James Fitzpatrick as a battering ram in midfield.  The young centre set up captain Vickerman, who twisted through the defence to score under the posts, leaving Hodgson with an easy conversion.  20-16 with 20 minutes left.

Archibald almost put us into the lead when Connon and Vickerman combined to set him up on the left, but with the line at his mercy the lock dropped the ball.

Fitzpatrick then carried two tackles over the line by the posts but also lost control.

With a few minutes to go Northampton finally went back on the attack with a rolling maul.  We turned over in front of our posts but Hodgson was almost caught in possession until the referee blew for a Falcons scrum.

On our final attack Hodgson battled through and offloaded to Fitzpatrick near the line but again the ball was lost, and the award of a penalty to the home side secured their victory.

With Northampton shading the first half and us being the better side in the second, this was a brilliant match with the result in the balance right until the very end.  Both sides’ numerous mistakes just added to the tension.

On the Newcastle side, Kieran Brookes had a strong game, and Fitzpatrick came alive after the break.  He will certainly be worth at least a cup outing or two this season.  Manning also organised the defence well, defying my concern at Exeter, but Fielden was quiet and his appalling attempt at a tackle cost Northampton’s second try.

As for the all-important comedy value, in the report from this game last season I may have mentioned one spectator regularly heckling the referee – if it was the same guy, he was sitting right in front of me last night.  I don’t think he opened his mouth except to shout and correct the referee every few minutes.

Actually I tell a lie – he also began heckling a touch judge late on too.  Always for injustices, real or otherwise, against Northampton of course.

In conclusion, the Falcons’ never-say-die attitude was very pleasing, and the commitment to playing with the ball in hand, for the most part, is also a positive.  Numerous handling errors and key lapses in defending are not.