My colleague, Terry Bull, reporting on last week’s loss to Park House commented on the fact that Folkestone did not score a try – the first time for 26 matches without crossing their opponent’s line.
History was adjusted after this fixture with a reinvigorated Folkestone playing to prove the point that they really are chasing a top spot in league.
FOLKESTONE 1stXV 22 VIGO 1stXV 10
Saturday 16th November 2019. LONDON 3SE. Report By:- Ahmin Dahmoud
A HARD-FOUGHT WIN AGAINST TOUGH OPPONENTS KEEPS FOLKESTONE IN CONTENTION
My colleague, Terry Bull, reporting on last week’s loss to Park House commented on the fact that Folkestone did not score a try – the first time for 26 matches without crossing their opponent’s line.
The two recent matches against Vigo have been very close affairs with only one and then two points separating the teams. History was adjusted after this fixture with a reinvigorated Folkestone playing to prove the point that they really are chasing a top spot in league. With a try in the first minutes of the first half, another in the first minute of the second half and a third in the last minute of game sealing victory.
The ghost of the previous week was laid to rest very quickly after Folkestone made a brisk start with crisp passing and movement, pegging Vigo back before Jon Morton turned them with a well judged kick into space, Seyhan Fell following up, passed inside to Thomo Murray to run over to score with Fell added the extra conversion points. 7 – 0.
That was a good start – and it was needed as Vigo came back with threats on both wings, stoutly defended by The Stones, and further attacks were frustrated by their indifferent passing and worse handling giving Folkestone some relief. The attacks continued but Jeremie Cowell and Jon Morton made telling tackles, whilst Connor Leather jumped into any lose situation to grab the ball – but it was hard going for the forwards. A scrum was won, but in the passing movement the ball was knocked on and Vigo seized on it, quickly ran around to the left and with an overlap and space, stretched Folkestone too far to prevent a good try being scored. A bit of luck for the home team saw the conversion attempt miss. 7 – 5.
Jon Morton kicked well into space, forcing play back in turn forcing a return kick that found four Vigo players off-side in front of the kick in front of the posts. Inexplicably no penalty was given – a bit of luck going the other way! A counterattack by Vigo was fast and determined – but so was Liam Trinder in defence as play went from one half to another. Jeremie Cowell made a headfirst charge into the Vigo wall – and came through running, but the attack was forced into touch.
Folkestone suffered penalty decisions against them and were lucky again when the kick at goal was inches wide. But the game was very evenly matched with both teams showing skills and strength and it was this that scored the Vigo try that immediately followed the missed kick. Again, a fast move from the base of the scrum quickly created an overlap for the left wing for another good try for the opposition, this time running round to touch down under the posts, only for Folkstone to take another chunk of luck when the kick was completely skewed and missed by 15 metres from 15 metres. 7 – 10.
Folkestone kicked off the second half and the ball was knocked on by Vigo. Folkestone won the scrum with Liam Trinder moving right – feeding John Eustace who crashed through two tackles before releasing the ball to Seyhan Fell who, with a torsional run dodged through the defence to score and convert his own try. 14 – 10.
Vigo were hard-pressed to stop a Palmieri and Faiers combination on the left wing and then conceded a penalty in front of the posts that gave goal-kicking supremo, Seyhan Fell, no difficulty, extending the lead to 17 – 10. But Vigo hit back with a vengeance in a series of sustained attacks that could only result in an equalising try – but no!
Jon Eustace was yellow carded for early tackle obstruction. Mat Roots and Kieran Smith were brought on field very effectively and it became a desperate effort for some ten minutes of massive attack and defence. Alex Price, Liam Trinder and Colby Hayward were superb as were Connor Leather and Kieran Smith, but Vigo had the ball and wave after wave of attack hit the wall. Penalties were taken as scrums within the 5-metre zone but The Stones forwards almost unbelievably held out pinned back to their own line and when Vigo saw no way through they tried swinging the ball out left and right – but only to find the Folkestone three-quarters just as determined to block everything that was thrown at them. Then Mat Roots, forever in the centre of things, wrenched the ball away from Vigo – then, a penalty (at last) was awarded to Folkestone and the threat ebbed away.
Now it was Vigo’s turn to show their spunk in defence as Jon Morton turned them with a low grubber kick and Lewis Howland with Callum Palmieri weaved their way forward to put Vigo on the line! A floodlight failure put the game into gloom but now the boot was firmly on the other foot as first, Mat Roots and Scott Stewart crashed into the tiring Vigo pack and then Jon Eustace with Liam Trinder and Alex Price were all stopped within inches whilst Mat Roots was bundled into touch – but perhaps Vigo’s efforts at the other end of the field had just taken the edge off their sharpness. A touch kick relieved their pressure but Folkestone regathered, and a series of pick and drives put them 10 metres short of the line. Liam Trinder went left, Lewis Howland went right, but Callum Palmieri had the ball and slipped the tackle attempt and accelerated to unstoppable pace – scoring the winning try in the last minute of the game. 22-10.
The score was credit to the Folkestone defence and the opportunities taken by sharpness and skill against opponents who were the equal, and at times the better, of the winners. Perhaps it was a tiring Vigo and a superbly fit Folkestone XV that ultimately was the difference – but phew, it was close!
Team: Seyhan Fell (Capt.); Freddie Faiers, Jon Morton, John Eustace, Thomo Murray; Callum Palmieri, Lewis Howland; James Archer, Connor Leather, Dave Ballard; Colby Hayward, Rob Godden; Jeremie Cowell, Alex Price, Liam Trinder.
Subs: Mat Roots, Kieran Smith, Scott Stewart.
Scorers: Thomo Murray 5; Seyhan Fell 2, 5, 2, 3; Callum Palmieri 5.
Scoring: Try, Murray 5 – 0 (1). Conv. Fell 7 – 0 (2). Try, Fell 12 – 10 (41). Conv, Fell 14 – 10 (42)
Pen, Fell 17 – 10 (45). Try, Palmeiri 22 – 10 (79)
