Weak tackling again consigns Bees to heavy defeat

4:24pm Sunday 2nd November 2008

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Preston Grasshoppers 49, Bradford & Bingley 16

It was an all-too-familiar story for Bradford & Bingley yesterday in National League Three North as they shipped seven tries for the second consecutive week, allowing their hosts free passage to the line on a number of occasions.

Undoubtedly the Bees can point to a growing list of absentees from their first-team squad but a profound inability to stop an attacker breaking the first tackle was again at the centre of their demise.

The chief beneficiaries of the Bees' generosity around the tackle area were Hoppers' left wing Russell Flynn and full back Tom Hughes, who each claimed a hat-trick of tries.

Burly wingman Flynn will not have had an easier day out on the flank to claim his three scores as he gambolled in unopposed for two, and for his third simply swatted off the attentions of a defender who at least prevented him trotting round behind the sticks.

As has happened three times this season, the real damage was done immediately from the second half kick-off.

With the score at 18-6 in favour of the home side, it appeared that if the Bees could re-establish their early forward domination and get the first score of the half it would be game on.

Instead the opposite happened, and busy Hoppers scrum half Darren Wilson darted through the Bradford & Bingley defence on halfway and just get kept going.

The diminutive half back was untouched by a Bees defender as he launched himself over the line.

With less than a minute of the second period gone, the Bees were left behind the posts admiring Marcus Jackson's conversion of the score and now needing three scores of their own to get back in the game.

Things went from bad to worse in the next 20 minutes as the Hoppers let rip with a further four scores to leave the score at 49-6 with a full quarter of the game to play.

The visitors did seem to at least gather some equilibrium in the final stages to make a game of it and with Richard Hughes, Barry Clark and new signing Guy Ford all grinding out the hard yards, the Bees were able to claim two scores of their own.

Debutant Ford deservedly got his name on the scoresheet, powering over from close range and, with two minutes left, the Bees finally fashioned a decent move in open play to send in wingman Marcus Dracup for a consolation score.