Tough start for DK continues
Dudley Kingswinford slumped to their lowest league position for many years as their hard start to the Midlands One season continued against Bedford Athletic.
Dudley Kingswinford slumped to their lowest league position for many years as their hard start to the Midlands One season continued against Bedford Athletic.
Poor tackling in the backs and indiscipline in the forwards ultimately cost DK, who now lie second from bottom.
They went down 29-11 against the promotion outsiders and with fixtures against the top two in the next fortnight the future looks bleak unless the Heathbrook side can find some cutting edge out wide.
They do not have to worry too much up front but with Ian Gowland, their main strike runner, out with a broken hand it does not look good for coach Mark Wilson.
His side showed improvement at the set-piece, in their lineout especially, and in the loose they managed to give the home side a torrid afternoon. But similar improvement was not seen among the backs, where DK struggled to make an impact.
It is in that area that Wilson will now be looking to improve.
He said: "I told our front five to step up and they did - but individual mistakes cost us dear. Three missed tackles cost us 21 points.
"Bedford were okay - but they were not that good.
"We now have to travel to Broadstreet and Luctonians who have comfortably beaten the sides we have lost to so things are not looking great. But we knew it was going to be a tough season."
To make matters worse, the Broadstreet game will now not be played at Heathbrook.
Despite the misleading scoreline against Bedford, DK were in with a chance of saving the game up until Shaun Griffiths was yellow carded with half an hour to go, just two minutes after a perfectly good try from the same player had been disallowed.
The talented Ath backs ran riot in the remaining 30 minutes and only skipper Gowland, who scored a spectacular 80m individual try in stoppage time, was able to relieve the pressure.
DK had started the game brightly until a glaring missed tackle on the right wing let in Ath's Joe Hunt for an unconverted try.
But with the DK pack was beginning to make inroads Tom Bissell reduced the deficit through a penalty.
Ath hit back immediately when, once again, poor tackling let full back Paul Ryder sweep in under the posts for a try, which was this time converted by fly half Clinton Prinsloo for 12-3 lead
The gap was narrowed to six points at half time after Bissell was again on target.
Several promising attacks punctuated a positive DK response at the start of the second half but the quality of their finishing left much to be desired.
Shortly after the Griffiths try was disallowed Ath scored a third try through Prinsloo, which proved a massive blow.
DK had made nearly all of the second half running but their opponents were more clinical, a point proved on 71 minutes when flanker Ben Beagent made it 24-6, albeit after what looked a suspiciously forward pass. Winger Hunt added the final score when he sprinted 40m through a demoralised DK rearguard for another unconverted try to make it 29-6.
But DK had the last word through Gowland, whose breathtaking 85 metre run saw him cruise under the posts.