Warriors pull off a sensational victory

Aug 27 2008 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

MONKLANDS Warriors Rugby League club pulled off a sensational result last week by thrashing a Lancashire team 24-0 in their own backyard.

The talented youngsters travelled to The Willows, home of National League One club Salford City Reds, to take on junior rivals Folly Lane in a special challenge match.

The clash was billed as a battle between Scotland and England in the Reds match programme ahead of their fixture with the Batley Bulldogs.

Warriors captain Callum MacKay piped his team-mates onto the pitch before the game.

And when the action started, the visitors came up trumps by scoring six tries as they shut-out Folly Lane to scoop the trophy and earn a brilliant win in front of thousands of fans.

Head Coach Les Obre was delighted with the kids’ performance and told the Advertiser: “This is a great result for us.

“To go down to England and get a win like that against an established side like Folly Lane is a great achievement.

“We dominated the game from start to finish. Our ball distribution was great and our tackling was excellent.

“The crowd who turned up for Salford’s game with Batley seemed to enjoy watching us and the kids were absolutely buzzing.

“The Salford development team commented on how well we played and we even got a mention in the match programme.

“It was good to win the trophy and bring it home on Sunday night. Everyone had a superb day and even the ones that couldn’t play still came down to cheer on their team-mates.”

MacKay burst past a number of defenders to go over and give the Warriors an early lead following a period of sustained pressure.

A punishing drive battered Folly Lane who conceded a second try through Aiden McGhee before Robbie Spratt - who has only been playing the sport for a few weeks - ran half the length of the pitch to make it 12-0.

The Warriors were now oozing confidence and another four points were chalked up thanks to Lewis Hanlon’s touchdown.

Folly Lane rallied and produced a number of excellent runs and passing moves but could not break down a tough Lanarkshire rearguard.

Some solid defensive play from Callum Obre and Chris Hill saw the ball come loose with MacKay then sprinting away and putting the Warriors 20-0 ahead.

The best was saved until last as a wonderful flowing passing move helped the visitors wrap up the scoring in style.

Stuart Campbell, McGhee, Obre and Hill all combined to set up David Urban who powered over the line as Folly Lane stood shell-shocked.

After the match, the Warriors youngsters were presented with their trophy by John Blackburn, head of the Reds’ development team.

Now Les is planning on setting up a series of tournaments to keep the youngsters as active as possible during the season.

He added: “We are hoping to link up with teams in Cumbria and also look to bring the Folly Lane team up here.

“We would also like to thank everyone who supported us on this trip.”