Preston Grasshoppers 14 Fylde 12 (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

Preston Grasshoppers 14 Fylde 12

9:07am Monday 22nd December 2008

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An excellent second half display saw Preston Grasshoppers emerge victorious in front of a packed house at Lightfoot Green.

A fiercely contested Lancashire derby was played in poor conditions that made handling difficult and led to a game dominated by the forwards.

Hoppers took an early lead as Marcus Jackson booted them in front after five minutes with a penalty awarded for a high tackle, this proved to be Hoppers only points of the half as Fylde took control.

Fylde’s first try came soon after, good work from both forwards and backs ensured quick ball and when the move found its way to the wing, Ollie Brennand beat a couple of men to score in the corner.

The game saw its first yellow card soon after the restart when Ross Davies was sent to the bin but Preston failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage.

Fylde then increased there lead when a flowing Hoppers move was cut short after an interception from Nick Royle who sprinted 70 yards to ground the ball beneath the posts, Steve Nutt converted and the teams went into the break with the score 3-12.

The physical nature of the game continued into the second half and Hoppers started to force themselves into the match. With just three minutes gone Grasshoppers Hooker Richie Sands broke clear from a ruck to run in from the 22.

Both sides were reduced to 14 men within minutes of each other as captains Darren Wilson and Roger Banks were shown yellow cards.

Jackson reduced the deficit to a single point with a superb kick from near half way and gave Hoppers the lead on the 72nd minute with another sweetly stuck kick.

Hoppers held on in the final minutes with some resolute defence to secure a well deserved victory.

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