A performance lacking in cutting edge, saw Cleckheaton leave Gateshead with only a losing bonus point last Saturday. A number of times last season Cleckheaton demonstrated the bad habit of performing at the same level as their opposition, playing really well against top sides and mediocre against the less able teams. This game was a throwback to that period, which also resulted in the team having a run of losses against the lower placed sides and is a performance the team need to put behind them very quickly, if they want to challenge for honours this year.

The game was played on a pleasant late summer's day in the North East, though from the outset the serenity of the afternoon was interrupted by the regular trill of the referee's whistle. Sometimes this was for obvious infringements but at other times it was much to the bemusement of both sets of supporters and largely led to a stop-start affair. The upshot of the interventions in the first quarter of the game were 2 successful penalty kicks for the home team and a narrowly missed one in return for Cleckheaton.

Cleck began to respond to the 6-0 deficit and started to establish themselves in the opposition danger zone. Several forward drives went tantalisingly close before Ross Hayden put Cleckheaton in front with a solo effort. A classy cross-field run exposed a gap in the opposition's defensive line and the fullback had the speed to exploit it, running in for a try to the right of the sticks, which he duly converted. The 7-6 scoreline remained unchanged at the break.

The second 40 minutes, like the first, were peppered with the tone of the whistle as both sides struggled to string a run of phases together without knocking on or committing an infringement in the eye of the referee. Gateshead did buck this trend 15 mins into the second half when they went in for a converted try down Cleck's right hand side to restore their 6 point advantage. Cleckheaton were hampered in regaining the upper hand when Richard Piper was sin binned for being the next man in red and white to commit an offence at the ruck and was side-lined for 10 mins.

With Piper's return and 15 minutes to regain some pride, Cleckheaton had several forays into the home team's half but wrong options allowed a reprieve for Gateshead, who were determined to get their first win of this year's league campaign. As the minutes ticked by, Cleckheaton came closer and closer to getting out of jail but alas, the referee blew his whistle for the final time and the Moorenders were condemned to come away with just a losing bonus point.

Cleckheaton travel to Wheatley Hills this weekend and will have play with much more resolve and plenty more passion if they are to come away with a result, from this tradionally attritional fixture.