Huddersfield Succumb to First League Defeat as Sedgley Maintain Winning Start
Sedgley Park battled their way to a 27-10 victory against an unfortunate Huddersfield side at Lockwood Park.
In glorious sunshine in West Yorkshire the visitors produced a clinical second half performance to ensure they would travel back across the Pennines with their 100% winning record intact, whilst also handing Field their first defeat of the 2019/20 season.
The opening exchanges did little to suggest which way the result would go, with the warm weather contributing to a stop start affair during the first 30 minutes in which a Will Milner penalty was the only contribution to put points onto the scoreboard.
Water breaks due to the heat and an injury to Field prop Loz Sanderson added to the slow tempo of the match, although Sedgley did convert a penalty of their own through Steve Collins to level the scores up in the latter stages of the first half.
That would’ve been a fair reflection of a tight opening 40 minutes but, with time ticking away, Sedgley worked the ball deep into Huddersfield territory and Nathan Rushton burst out of the Sedgley maul by the touchline to cross the try-line with the last action of the first half.
A horrible time for the home side to concede a try, the conversion well taken by Collins to rub salt in the Field wounds as they walked to the changing rooms for halftime.
Sedgley pressed forward and were the first to add to the scoreboard in the second half, Collins adding his second successful penalty kick of the afternoon.
At this point it seemed as though the away side would begin to assert themselves on the contest, but it was Field who came roaring back with a well manufactured move which culminated in Alex Battye bullying his way past the Sedgley defence, Milner adding the conversion to bring his side right back into the contest.
Sedgley however refused to be rattled and showed exactly why they’d won their opening two games of the season, moving the ball quickly from one side of the pitch to the other and Jack Metcalf going on an impressive darting run past multiple Huddersfield defenders before offloading to Will Lees close to the try line leaving him with an easy try, Collins’ conversion again proving effective.
And moments before the final whistle as Field continued to search for a route back into the contest a poor giveaway in the middle of the park left Leon Simpson with the freedom of the Lockwood Park pitch to sprint underneath the posts and add some gloss to the score line for the visitors, with Collins ensuring his conversion rate remained 100% for the game as he easily sent the ball between the sticks.
Head Coach Gareth Lewis stated post-match “I thought the opening twenty minutes were very promising but unfortunately our indiscipline put pressure on ourselves and then we shot ourselves in the foot with some individual errors.
“We kept the ball for long periods in the closing stages but were punished for our own inaccuracies and some excellent Sedgley Park defending.”
“This was always going to be a very tough start to the season but with hard work I know these boys can get our season up and running.”
A trip to Fylde who find themselves unbeaten and in third position after three matches of the National League 2 North season awaits next for Huddersfield, in what should provide a stern test on the road for Lewis and his players.
