Rossendale 19, Bradford & Bingley 7

If there is a pattern emerging for Bradford & Bingley this season it is that the side remain consistently inconsistent over the course of 80 minutes.

For the fourth time this season, Martin Whitcombe’s men had enough territory and possession to have at least earned a losing bonus point yesterday but instead returned to Wagon Lane empty handed.

Some very poor kicking down the slope in the second half, which gave the ball back to the home side far too easily, and some dreadful handling errors conspired to keep the Bees off the scoreboard for the final 35 minutes of the game when they established several promising field positions and should really have hauled back Rossendale’s slender lead.

This contrasted with the game management of the home side, who were marshalled superbly from half back by Steve Nutt throughout and who consistently cleared the ball behind the Bees back three or at least found touch every time they put boot to ball.

Rossendale’s pack are galvanised around the ageless Tim Fourie, who defies the march of time to still be a handful in the tight, despite his 43 years.

The Bees pack were largely equal to their hosts and set up a platform to deliver enough ball for the backs to fashion into scores.

For the first 18 minutes, the home side barely set foot in the Bees half of the field as the visiting pack drove up the hill, and Steve Brimacombe, Gavin Stead and Giles Hetherington all threatened the home line.

A couple of chances were lost as Rossendale players thwarted an attack illegally and, although the referee rather theatrically went for his pocket, no card was brandished and the home side kept 15 men on the pitch.

With their first venture into the Bees 22, Rossendale were on the scoreboard.

Prop Leyton Taylor ricocheted off a couple of Bees tacklers to barrel home under the posts.

With Nutt adding the extras, the home side led 7-0 very much against the run of play.

The tide now turned and it was the Bees who were called into defensive mode as the home side poured forward through the deepening mud.

With 29 minutes gone, the lead was increased by five as Nutt spotted Gavin Stead drifting infield on the Bees line and landed a delightfully weighted kick into the in-goal area where Stead should have been for Alisdair Harper to slide home.

The Bees hung on until half-time and it appeared that whoever scored first might be able to gain the advantage in a very evenly-balanced contest.

The Bees were clearly revved up as they came out for the second 40 and threw everything into the opening exchanges.

With three minutes played, their early pressure was rewarded as skipper Guy Ford ploughed over the final Rossendale defender to score out on the left.

With 37 minutes left to play and the slope with them, it looked like the Bees were set to haul back the Rossendale lead in double quick time.

However, it was not to be as a succession of promising attacks floundered in the hands of the Bees backline, who seemed suddenly incapable of giving and receiving a pass.

Rossendale lifted the seige as the game progressed and, with ten minutes left on the watch, sealed the win with a well-executed move from left to right which allowed outside centre Zyl Wynard to dive in for the score, which was converted by Nutt to wrap up the game.