The Lions See Victory Snatched Away

Unfortunately on this occasion they saw victory snatched away from their grasp in the final minutes of the match.
The game opened with the visitors dominating territory after an initial burst by the Lions. The home side were the first to put points on the board with second row Wade Roberts kicking a penalty following an infringement at a ruck. 3-0 to the Lions
With the defences of both sides dominating one always felt that the game might well be decided by the boot. The visitors didn’t take long to level the scores. Outside centre Alex Finch converting a penalty for not releasing in the tackle. The same player gave his side the lead before the break with another penalty.6-3 to Brighton.
The battle up front was hard fought with neither side able to excerpt any real dominance. The Lions were forced into making a substitution midway through the half when blind side wing forward John Harrington sustained a knee injury. Joseph Hinkins taking his place. Despite the best efforts of both sides there was no addition to the score. High flying Brighton, currently lying third in the league , were made to work hard for their slender three point lead.
Brighton opened up the scoring in the second period with another penalty by Finch. 9-3 to Brighton.
The Lions made a substitution early in half with Sam Hanley coming on in place of Lee Hayes. Just eight minutes later the Lions made their final replacement with Ollie Best replacing Aaron Moss and was immediately having an influence, kicking a penalty to narrow the gap to just three points.9-6 to Brighton.
In a game where the balance of play was delicately poised it was difficult to forecast the final outcome, so it was a great relief to home supporters when their side went into a four point lead with just 10 minutes remaining. Winning a penalty they kicked deep into the right corner, won the resulting lineout and set up a couple of driving mauls before releasing to the backs.The ball was quickly spread left for full back Jamie Guy to squeeze into the corner. Ollie Best adding the extra two points with a great conversion. 13-9 to the Lions.
With the game now nearing it's climax it was now a question of whether the Lions could hang onto their slender lead. This they managed until the final minute when they conceded a converted try after they had been penalised several times around their five metre line.After repulsing several thrusts for the line their defence was finally breached by Brighton centre Neil Mcgovern who scored under the posts to rob the Lions of a notable scalp.16-13 to Brighton
It would be unfair to single out any of the Lions players for special praise in a game where all the squad had played with distinction in a great effort to topple third placed Brighton. The home side did find some consolation by securing a losing bonus point which may yet prove valuable in their fight to avoid relegation
This Saturday the Lions have no game, The 4ths are away to Ashford Kick Off 3pm.

Reporter Gerald Griffith