Lions’ home record falls to leaders
AHEAD of the weekend’s impressive win at Otley, Macclesfield had maintained their charge towards promotion with an equally eye-cacthing victory at Leicester Lions.
Assistant coach Chris Jones was delighted with The Blues’ win as they came from behind to strip the Lions of their unbeaten home record.
Jones was full of praise for the way his side fought back from a seven-point half time deficit.
“I’m delighted with the win. It was a massively tough game, but we’ve been in this kind of position before this season. We asked the lads for a reaction at half time and I believe we did that, so I’m very happy.
“Leicester are a great side at home, it’s a really tough place to come. We showed what we can do, what we want and we showed a lot of resilience to come back and get the result.
“I was always confident in the way that we’re conditioned that if we can stay in the game going into the last 20 minutes that we can push for the win, and be there or there abouts of getting it.”
The table topping Blues got off to a sloppy start and looked shell shocked by the host’s blistering opening passages of play. It took just two minutes for Leicester Lions to get on the score sheet, a lineout move finished off out wide by powerful winger Devon Constant.
Macclesfield sprung back and sparked into life on 15 minutes, a fine move was finished in the corner by winger Matt King, Lewis Barker missed the conversion, 7-5.
A frantic first half continued to involved with an error stricken Macclesfield side looking under pressure from the Lions who were very much giving the league leaders a game.
On 25 minutes, the hosts made their pressure pay with another score, troublesome winger Constant again trampling over his opposite man on his way to the try line, 12-5. The score was the last of the scoring action until half time.
The first fifteen minutes of the second half were just as frantic as the forty before it and saw three yellow cards and seven points scored.
On 44 minutes, Ben Spokes was sent to the bin for The Lions, he was followed five minutes later by Blues lock Harrison Lewis, and then the referee decided it would be 13 against fourteen when he sent Leicester’s lock Will Roach to the bin.
Macc managed to take advantage of the extra man immediately as illusive fly half Lewis Barker spotted gaps in the defence to dance through and score under the posts, converting his own score to bring the scores level, 12-12.
The home side regained the lead on the hour mark, fly half John Boden adding three points from the kicking tee.
The lead was very much short lived for the Lions though, as Macclesfield responded within a minute with what turned out the be the crucial score, Elliot Brierley put a clever kick in behind the on rushing Lions defence for Josh Fowles to collect and score, Barker missed the conversion, 15-17.
The Lions continued to pile the pressure on The Blues but fine defence and territory play from Macc meant they kept their hosts at bay.
On 70 minutes, some clever play from the league leaders forced a penalty which was within range of the boot of Lewis Barker, Barker calmly slotted the three points and secured the Macclesfield victory and a first home loss since April 2015 for Leicester Lions.