Lost in extra time.......

Heath travelled to a rain swept Woodhead looking to overturn a home defeat earlier in the season and regain bragging rights, but were cruelly dealt a blow with the last kick of the game after being in front from the 5th minute of the match. Before kick off there was an almighty downpour which affected the playing surface considerably and made the ball like a piece of soap with handling difficult throughout the game. It was obvious to the crowd that the match would be of two halves with the team playing down the slope having a distinct advantage and this proved to be the case as Heath kicked off with the advantage first. Ian Downsborough, back from a stint in Afghan, was quickly into the home side with some big hits and with Dom Walsh and Ezra Hinchliffe directing operations it came as no surprise to see Jack Sheldrake open Heath's account with a try as he ran in from 20 metres. Hinchliffe converted and Heath were 7- 0 up after 4 minutes. From the restart Brods made a brief attack but Cameron Ramsden, at fullback, quickly snuffed out the danger as Heath turned defence into attack. Stephen Hare and Alex Cust were too quick for the home pack and, despite the conditions, Heath's handling was superb. On 12 minutes Sam Pollard entered the field of play for an injured Ewan Miller and he made an immediate impact at inside centre. On 19 minutes Brods had winger Eddy Carter sin-binned for a blatant obstruction on Si Brown as he kicked through and this was Heath's chance to further increase their lead. Chris Moore and Mark Puttick were coming to terms with the conditions and set up Hinchliffe whose cross field kick was chased by Pollard to score what looked like Heaths second try but the referee ruled offside and the try was cancelled out. Undeterred, Heath continued to pound the home defence and when the Brods pack collapsed Heath were awarded a penalty which Hinchliffe converted 10- 0 on 24 minutes. Heath were relentless and, as Walsh charged down an attempted clearance, Hinchliffe picked up the ball and released Pollard whose pin point pass to Sheldrake saw him go over for a second try 17- 0 on 30 minutes and Heath cruising. However, there was a sting in the tail for the visitors when Brods had only their second attack of the half and came away with an unconverted try from prop Callum Thompson after 35 minutes. Half time came and both teams went into the changing rooms to wash down and try to dry off. It was Brods turn to have the advantage and, with the wind increasing, the home side had a penalty on 42 minutes to bring the score to 17- 8. With Downsborough, Hamish Pratt and Darren Neilly leading by example and trying desperately hard to stem the onslaught Prop Loma Kivalu charged down a kick and stormed over the line for Brods second try on 56 minutes, converted by Danny Wood, 17- 15 still to Heath. With the conditions deteriorating by the minute it was going to be a battle of the fittest to survive and Heath clung on to the 2 point lead until the last seconds of the match before being caught offside. Up stepped Ward for the kick but as he approached the ball fell off the tee. A team mate moved forward to replace it and Heath looked to play on. The referee called the ball dead but queries were raised by Heath. The referee then marched the Heath defence back 10 metres which clearly made the kick far easier. Ward made no mistake, the referee blew for time and Brods had snatched a win from a game in which they looked down and out. It was a cruel blow to Heath and yet another game they should have won. The only consolation was a losing bonus point but to the players, supporters and coaching team it was a bitter pill to swallow and now makes the next league game against Pontefract a must win encounter. Finally, the Courier's Ian Rushworth was in attendance - read his Report at http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/more-sport/wood-wins-it-again-for-brods-1-6397742. Good photo as well.