Report: Swinton Lions 18-12 Rochdale Hornets

Rochdale Hornets fell just short against local rivals Swinton Lions in a thrilling derby day battle at Heywood Road.

There was added edge and impetus to the contest as both sides knew that whoever came out on top would take a huge leap towards securing a spot in the top four in Betfred League 1.

It was the visitors who had the better of the opening exchanges, with three sets deep inside the Swinton half within the first eight minutes, but they couldn’t make the chances count.  

With their first attack of the game, the hosts opened the scoring thanks to a length-of-the-field effort, finished off by former Hornet Jonny Openshaw. 

Moments later, they nearly produced another long-range score. Frank Sergent made the break down the left wing, but his pass back inside was intercepted by Gregg McNally who knocked it into touch.

It was Paul Wood’s side who had control of the match after this and looked threatening on multiple occasions, but resolute Hornets defence kept them away from the try line. 

Gary Thornton’s side looked to have got themselves level at the midway point of the first half when Dan Nixon latched onto the end of a cross-field kick on the last tackle, but he was held up by good work from the Swinton defence.

A few minutes later, the home side had their second try of the afternoon. A low kick forward deceived the Rochdale defence and the bouncing ball was picked up by Gavin Rodden ahead of McNally, who raced away to score.

A Jack Stevens penalty goal made it 10-0, and he added two more points from the tee on the stroke of half-time to give his team a 12-0 lead going into the break.

Four minutes into the second half and Swinton were in once more, Sergent getting his name on the scoresheet to extend the lead to 16 points.

Six minutes later, the Hornets posted their first points of the afternoon after being given a penalty deep inside the opposition half. The ball was played out wide from the scrum and Luke Forber was on hand to find his way home in the corner, with Martyn Ridyard converting from out wide to cut the deficit to 10 points.

A Reece Briers penalty restored Swinton’s 12-point lead, but just before the hour mark, Rochdale gained another lifeline as Dylan Kelly-Duffy pounced upon a loose ball in the in-goal area to get his side back in the contest once more.

A Swinton drop-goal with 12 minutes to go drifted wide of the posts as the game continued to open up, with the Lions unable to stretch their advantage back beyond a converted try. 

In the dying embers of the contest, Rochdale had a golden chance to potentially draw level with sets on the Swinton line, but scrambling defence followed by a Lewis Else knock-on gave possession back to the hosts.

That proved to be the final action of a contest which could have gone either way in the second 40 minutes. 

Gary Thornton’s side mounted a valiant effort to fight back, but in the end it was the Heywood Road outfit who ran out 18-12 winners to confirm their top-four spot.

Swinton Lions: Roberts, Sergent, Lynch, Hatton, Higham, Briers, Stevens, Shingler, Openshaw, Reddecliff, Rodden, T.Kelly-Duffy, Baker. Subs: Brown, Roby, Sidlow, Beardsworth.

Tries: Openshaw, Rodden, Sergent,

Goals: Stevens (2), Briers

Rochdale Hornets: McNally, Nixon, Flanagan, Ashton, Forber, Ridyard, Else, McKler, Whitmore, Killan, D.Simpson, D.Kelly-Duffy, Whittel. Subs: Punchard, Reid, Andrade, E.Simpson.

Tries: Forber, D.Kelly-Duffy

Goals: Ridyard (2)