Trafford MV: Injury setback as they get beaten by Aldwinians

Match report by Wilf Dooley

When it was thought things couldn’t get any worse for Trafford MV, in their battle at the foot of Lancs/Cheshire ADM 1, the rains came and the injuries flooded in.

It was a tough day overall for Trafford in their first home game for a number of weeks, facing a good Aldwinians side who were riding high in the league table.

After having a dominant scrum in recent weeks, it was a different story against a big opposition pack, a situation made worse by the loss of Jack Gobbett, who suffered a blow to the mouth after 10 minutes. Despite this setback and a struggling scrum, Trafford managed the first 20 minutes well in what was an even game at this stage.

Another setback came a short time later with fullback Oscar Livings suffering a hamstring strain after 25 minutes, ending his game early.

Aldwinians’ pressure was starting to show, and with Trafford struggling to stop their attacks on the gain line, scoring a number of quick-fire tries seemed inevitable! Further injury issues were to come before halftime as captain Andrew Clegg received an eye injury, which meant he could take no further part in the game. Trafford had now used their complement of subs and were down to 14 men for the rest of the game.

With everything stacked against them in the second half, Trafford MV showed great determination and spirit; Aldwinians could have scored plenty of tries if heads had dropped, but solid defense limited them to 4 scores, with the final try coming right on the whistle, ending the game as a humiliating 0-50 home defeat.

Despite the heavy defeat, positives could be found from a difficult day as every player gave their all and team spirit was high. Player of the Match for TMV went to Jimmy Craven, who impressed with some hard carrying. Another notable performer was winger David Evans, who positioned himself well and defended strongly under lots of pressure.

Times are difficult when going through a tough run of results, but recent performances have shown that team togetherness is good, and with a club emphasis on blooding young talented players in the team, things will improve.

This weekend sees a huge fixture as Trafford travel to meet fellow strugglers Aspull, who are just a single point and a place above them in the table. A real focus on a win must be made to keep in touch with New Brighton in the next non-relegation spot. A win would be the best Christmas present for Trafford MV.

Picture by Ian Rogers

Picture of Young winger ‘Lewis Owen’ launching attack for Trafford MV