Shickell hat-trick allows Eaton to breathe easier

8:12pm Sunday 7th September 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Keighley Cougars 32, Workington Town 14

Unlikely hero Andy Shickell charged in for a hat-trick to make sure the Cougars safely got through their first play-off test this afternoon.

The bulky former Halifax prop scored three tries as Keighley saw off Workington and set up another Co-operative National League Two eliminator tie versus Rochdale Hornets next Sunday.

However, they didn’t have it all their own way today, nervously leading just 20-10 before finishing Town off with two tries in the last five minutes.

Coach Barry Eaton said: “Our ball control and pass selection wasn’t good enough for the first 20 minutes of the second half, and that always gave Workington hope of getting back.

“But we found a bit of composure and defensively we were always pretty solid.

“The important thing was the result and we’re still in there fighting here next week.”

On Shickell, Eaton added: “I don’t think he’s ever got over for a hat-trick before - maybe one in the Reserve Grade!

“But he’s been the mainstay of the pack all season and if he plays like that every week he’ll be all right.

“We got him close enough to the line to drop over on three occasions!”

It was the robust front-rower who set the platform for victory with two tries in seven minutes as Cougars took a 12-4 lead early on.

First, he surged forward and stretched over after switching from open to blind with a late run off James Feather, and then hit a hole off the hooker’s shoulder to burst in for his second.

In between, Ryan Benjafield replied for the Cumbrians but they weren’t helped when their scrum half Bryce Poisel popped his shoulder trying to stop a rampaging Neil Lowe.

Keighley extended the advantage when Danny Jones’ grubber bounced off a post to sit up perfectly for Jon Presley.

Jones added his third conversion while wily winger Sam Gardner was a constant thorn in Workington’s side having made two classic long-range breaks to get his side on the front foot.

However, the Cougars switched off on the stroke of half-time to let Shaun Lunt dart over from acting half, Carl Forber’s kick leaving Town just 18-10 behind.

Keighley dominated the third quarter without really having much to show for their efforts.

Jones added a penalty on 46 minutes but line-bound Craig Fawcett was then pulled back for a forward pass.

Presley also thought he had got over following Brendan Rawlins’ raid down the left but was just pulled down short and the hosts began to lose patience as mistakes crept in.

They needed George Rayner to pull off a try-saving tackle on Jason Mossop at the other end, and it wasn’t until Presley put Shickell in for his hat-trick on 75 minutes that Eaton could finally breathe easy.

Even then Workington - who also lost Iain Marsh with a broken arm - struck back straight from the re-start, Dexter Miller waltzing over.

But another Cougars prop, Simon Bissell, made sure in the last minute with his side’s fifth try of the afternoon.