BRADFORD & Bingley were three minutes away from recording an excellent away win at second-placed Morley before eventually losing 23-20 at Scatcherd Lane.

The game was nip and tuck from first to last, despite the freezing and murky conditions, this was a game the Bees could have won if they were more able to manage the final minutes of the game better.

Bradford & Bingley got on the scoreboard first with a Lance Taylor penalty in the first minute, however his side were quickly reduced to 14 men as Ben Hockenhull got ten minutes in the sinbin for a deliberate knock on.

While Hockenhull was off the field, Morley were able to add eight points on the board as Larne Patrick scored and Mark Chester added a penalty.

With the visitors restored to full strength, they wasted little time in taking the lead back as Adam Sutcliffe jinked around a couple of defenders to slip up the touchline for a score, Taylor added the conversion to put the Bees a couple of points in front at the break.

Despite the floodlights coming on at half time, visibility across the Scatcherd Lane pitch worsened steadily as the second half wore on.

It was the home side who were next on the scoreboard on the hour mark as a fine break up the right hand touchline, allowed Noah Hawkins' to break through and touchdown, almost immediately Taylor replied for the Bees and the match was now level.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Chester slotted another penalty to edge the hosts in front, although the Bees responded through a simple, catch and drive, which saw hooker Will Bentley plunge over from inches out.

As Taylor, captain for the day, jogged back to his half, celebrating his successful kick with a fist pump at the Bees contingent in the stand, it looked like there was every chance that his side could claim a fantastic win on the road to get the Wagon Lane side climbing back into the top half of the table.

That score set up a dramatic finale, as the away side were hanging on to a four point lead with less than three minutes to go, when a kick failed to make touch, allowing the opposition to run at a broken field.

The Morley three quarters whipped the ball out to the right and when the booming kick went up, going the opposite way to the initial surge, there was no-one at home for the Bees as Jake Dearden was in acres of space up the left wing, to gallop home untouched, Chester slotted away the conversion to put the game beyond the deflated Bees.

The victory for the home side lifts Morley to joint top spot in the North One East Division, while the consolation losing bonus point keeps Bradford and Bingley in seventh place in the table.

Hugh Gumbs' men will hope to return to winning ways when they host sixth-placed Cleckheaton on Saturday.