A DEPLETED Latchford Albion – fielding a very young side because of the absence of senior players – fell to a a 22-40 defeat at home to Heysham Atoms.
But despite the scoreline, coach Martyn Ellis saw a lot of positives and hope for the future.
He said: “We had the majority of our senior players unavailable, but the flip side is that it gives us a further opportunity to showcase the future. We had eight players from the Under 18s step up, with three making their debut. Ideally, I wanted to integrate t hem over a period of time, but despite their inexperience, the effort and commitment levels were superb.
“With 15 minutes to go we were only six points behind, so it shows how well they performed today.”
The game itself was even, apart from two spells at the end of each half, when the visitors ook their opportunities to claim the win.
Marshall Hayes crossed twice in the first half, with Jack Phillips adding one goal and after 30 minutes the score was tied at 10-10.
Heysham then hit Albion with two quick fire tries to lead 10-22 at the break
An early Heysham try threatened to allow them to take control, but Albion fought their way back into the game.
A Logan Lagar brace, both converted by Philips, saw the score 22-28 with 15 minutes remaining and the game back in the balance.
The hope was short-lived when Heysham crossed again to seal the game and a further try possibly gave the scoreline a harsh reflection on a game where Latchford were competitive throughout.
