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Rochdale Hornets 8 Gateshead Thunder 52

Mike Floyd
30/ 5/2008

WITH Alcock and Brown missing due to injuries Hornets failed to get off the ground against Gateshead at Spotland on Tuesday night.

In fact, they were well and truly grounded as they gave a performance which at best can be described as dire. And it signalled the end of Bobbie Goulding’s tenure as coach.

Mistakes were rife. Dropped ball, mistimed passes and an absence of tackling were once again the order of the day, reflecting the rock-bottom confidence throughout the team.

More worrying is the lack of enthusiasm and passion, qualities which have, in the past, been key ingredients of teams coached by Bobbie Goulding.

Players have often compensated for a lower level of skill with commitment and a will to win, something which seems to be sadly lacking at the moment.

Hornets’ supporters are realists. The majority of them hold their coach in high regard but even the most dyed-in-the-wool fans are finding it difficult to come to terms with the current situation. With fewer than 350 fans at Spotland last Friday for the quarter final of the Northern Rail Cup against Doncaster and again for Tuesday’s match performances must improve sooner rather than later.

How this is achieved is the question, but it is time for the players to stand up and be counted.

Make no mistake, Gateshead Thunder were lightning. They did everything at speed. Their passing was slick, their support play faultless and their defence well-organised and effective. More importantly they looked as though they wanted to be out their battling for victory, which was in sharp contrast to the majority of the Hornets players.

The match was over as a contest within the first 20 minutes as the visitors half backs Danny Russell and Neil Thorman exploited a lethargic Hornets defence.Thunder took just five minutes to open their account as Thorman’s long pass created space for Kevin Neighbour out wide and he slid in to score.

Four minutes later, Thorman bounced through six tackles before launching a perfectly weighted grubber for Dylan Nash to touch down. Russell converted.

The floodgates then opened as Russell, Neighbour, Stuart Kain and Danny Wilson crossed for tries Russell converted all four for a 34-0 interval lead..

Hornets attacks were fleeting, the only opportunity coming when Martyn Ainscough intercepted a pass, looked for support, which wasn’t forthcoming.

The second half saw a slight improvement, despite David Best’s 47th minute dismissal for punching Nash. It was stupid and the referee, Mr Dawber, who had a good game, was left with no alternative.

Thunder were first on the board as Russell’s pass put Ben McAlpine through an enormous gap to score. Russell converted.

Hornets, spearheaded by Wayne Corcoran’s strong running and Todd O’Brien’s breaks from acting half, picked up the pace. And, on the hour-mark, Ainscough’s cross kick was fumbled and he and Chris Campbell combined to send Chris Spurr in for a try.

Two minutes later, another Ainscough kick was spilled by Wilson, Spurr hacked on the loose ball and dived to score.

It was a brief revival and when the bounce of the ball deceived Carl Sneyd, McAlpine swooped for a try Russell added the extras.

With two minutes to go the rout was completed as Robin Peers broke from deep and raced 60 metres to score. Russell tagged on the two to take his tally for the match to 20 points and confirm a man-of-the-match performance.

It was a sad end to the Goulding era, which promised so much, but recently has delivered so little.