Rochdale Hornets stung Swinton Lions with an Ethan Wood try eight minutes from time to secure victory and take the points as both teams got their Championship campaigns underway.
The game was played in atrocious conditions with constant rain throughout, making handling difficult at times.
It was early pressure from the home side forcing goal-line dropouts on two back-to-back sets, but they were unable to capitalise. Even a penalty thirty metres out came to nothing as the ball went to ground.
A good Lions attack was ended on 14 minutes when Hornets winger TJ Boyd got to a kick for the corner first.
Jack Stevens put the Swinton Lions ahead seven minutes later when George Roby was obstructed and he slotted the penalty between the sticks.
It looked like the first try was coming on twenty-four minutes when Gav Rodden broke down the left, but the final pass to the supporting Harry Higham went into touch. Hornets tried to hit back quickly but Dan Nixon could not control a final pass with the line open.
More chances quickly followed and Connor Parkinson made a break down the right, but Max Flanagan knocked him into touch, and then Jordan Andrade knocked on near the line for Hornets.
Two more lose carries then put Hornets in a good position before there was a hold up when Matty Unsworth had to leave the field on a stretcher with a leg injury after a collision with Gav Rodden in a tackle in the Lions’ ten metre area.
There was a short delay in the game, but after the restart and two minutes from the break, an incident was placed on report for what looked like a crusher tackle. The Lions held the slender lead at the break.
Hornets made the better start to the second half, gaining an early penalty and good ground after an off-the-ball tackle on halfway. The scores were level at forty-five minutes when the impressive Max Flanagan added a penalty goal for offside.
Flanagan put them further ahead three minutes later when he converted another penalty for interference at the play the ball.
The Lions were trying everything to get over the line and finally made the breakthrough on fifty-seven minutes when Jamie Redecliff latched onto a short kick from George Roby to score by the posts and Stevens also added the conversion.
It was pretty end-to-end until the last ten minutes but again, ball handling was causing problems, but with eight minutes to go, some good pressure by Hornets saw Ethan Wood find a gap to score on the left and Flanagan converted to put his team back ahead.
Again, the Lions tried everything to get into a good position to score, but a moment of madness in the dying seconds saw them give a penalty away and Flanagan was on target with his boot as the hooter sounded.
Swinton Lions will face Goole Vikings in their next Championship game, 3pm kick-off at Heywood Road on 1 February.
The match report was provided by Ian Rigg, and the featured photo was taken by Matt James.
