Goole 37, Crusaders 0 - LITTLE can be said of the Keighley performance against Goole last weekend, they were out-played, out-thought and out-manoeuvred by the home side who scored three tries in the first half.

They also added a conversion and two penalty goals to add to the Crusaders' agony. The tries came from good, plain, simple rugby without any particularly clever or brilliant moves, showing up not only poor defence by Keighley, but also some very poor tackling and positional play.

The second half only realised two more tries for Goole, one being converted, but this was more as a result of replacement of older heads and experience for Keighley, as against the youth and fervour of the players replaced.

Twenty minutes into the second half saw flashes of the old Keighley, rolling mauls gaining 20 yards, good threequarter play bringing the backs and wings into the game, but this was too little, too late.

This style and quality of play ought to have been seen in the first 20 minutes of the game which would have rattle the opposition and probably have seen Keighley scoring some points. The inclusion of older heads with experience certainly had an effect on the Keighley XV, but too late.

The policy of playing a team, of which at least 50 per cent is made up of young hopefuls, does not seem to be working for Keighley, and it is a policy which needs to be looked at again if they are to gain points in North East Division One. They are currently lying at the bottom of the table, supporting all those clubs whom they have beaten well in the past few years.

Some radical thought has to be given to future team selection. Are these matches on a Saturday played with the sole intention of blooding young players, or are they supposed to be seriously intending to win matches?

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.