Coach counts cost of victory

Darren's down: Darren Callaghan rolls over the line for his try for Wasps in the first half. Pictures: Paul Baker

Juggernaut: Steve Hill surges forward to occupy four tacklers

Going over: Jamie Benn dives over for the first of his two tries for York Wasps against Swinton. Picture: Paul Baker

Five players were injured in the bruising encounter and coach Robinson expects at least four of them to be ruled out of next week's trip to Workington.

Chris Hopcutt could miss the rest of the season after dislocating a knee cap; Mick Ramsden suffered a similar fate though is thought to be less serious; Lea Tichener dislocated an ankle; Leigh Deakin suffered a neck problem and Peter Edwards damaged a bicep which left him with a dead arm.

Robinson is hopeful Edwards will recover in time to face Workington but admits he could be left with just 16 fit players for the trip to Cumbria.

That York somehow managed to come up with the victory over Swinton was testament to the never-say-die spirit of the squad.

The double dismissal of prop Craig Booth and his opposite number Ian Blease following a brawl left both sides down to 12 men but injuries forced York down to just 11 after they had used up their permitted six substitutions.

But they fought back from a 14-4 interval deficit to claw their way back and snatch the points with a Jamie Benn try eight minutes into injury time. Said Robinson: "We were down to 11 fit men and on another day two or three of that 11 would have been looking to come off with injury problems.

"To their credit they have dug in and the character of the side was as much as any coach could ask for from any side. In the last quarter their character was immense. I've never had to shuffle the deck as much in one 80 minutes in all my coaching career. It's the will and the spirit in the camp that's won us the day."

Swinton were by far the best side faced by the Wasps this season and Robinson claimed the lessons learned would stand York in good stead when they faced other play-off contenders.

But he admitted the Lions, who missed five drop goals attempts in the second half, had let them off the hook.

"Swinton contributed to their own downfall. We were a man short and had players dead on their feet and they've plugged down the middle for drop goals when all they had to do was hit the channels and play it wide. I couldn't believe my luck," said Robinson.

The highlight of the game was another awesome performance from Steve Hill and Robinson paid tribute to the efforts of the big prop, who scored a rare try after charging through two tackles.

He said: "It was an immense performance from Steve. To lead from the front and being at the lowest ebb in his energy levels, to take it up with three players on his back to score a try - that really lifted the team."

He also praised Paul Darley, returning after suffering a fractured cheekbone in the pre-season friendly at Hull, and Mick Crane who made his first appearance since the opening day defeat at Leigh. Both impressed when coming off the bench at half-time.

Of Darley's part in the match-winning try, Robinson joked: "He's been criticised by me in the past about flicking the ball out the back door but I think we'll allow him that one today!"

But it wasn't quite the dream start Darren Callaghan had been hoping for. The former York Acorn ace started his first game since turning professional but had a nightmare first half before settling down in the second. Robinson refused to criticise Callaghan and said: "He will have learned from the experience and will improve the more he plays."

Valiant Wasps snatch points

by Dianne Hillaby

This was not so much get out of jail as escape from Alcatraz.

York Wasps were dead on their feet, losing players by the minute and trailing a side which looked for all the world like a title-challenging outfit.

But this Wasps team is learning to wipe the word defeat from their vocabulary, while the term 'giving up' has already been erased.

Led by the superb Steve Hill they somehow found hidden reserves of energy to turn the match around and grab the winning score an incredible eight minutes into stoppage time.

It may have been Jamie Benn who scored the decisive touch down but the result belonged to the whole team - those who finished the game and the large number wounded in action.

Hill apart, there were no stars, if anything it was a below-par performance from the majority. But to come up with victory against such massive odds is to their credit. They now proudly sit in second place in the Northern Ford Premiership, only points difference keeping them off the top.

Had they won the opener at Leigh, a result which Dean Robinson admits they are still cursing, York would be out on their own. But that defeat could have been a blessing in disguise. It taught the Wasps some vital lessons and equipped them with strength of character which could just be enough to see them maintain their bid for a play-off place.

It was certainly on show against Swinton who provided the biggest test of York's season so far. The Lions, who made the play-offs last season, are sure to be up there again come the end of the campaign with strong running forwards and a pacey back line.

Their 10-minute blitz midway through the first half, which saw them run in three tries, was a warning of the damage they can inflict.

Until that point York had looked more than a match and made most of the early running. Darren Callaghan broke the deadlock on 22 minutes, running on to Mark Cain's short ball at pace to go in at the corner for his first try as a professional. Benn, who failed to kick a goal, missed the first of his four attempts.

That paved the way for Swinton to up the tempo. Tricky wingman Marlon Billy was the first to score after Swinton had moved the ball well on the last tackle.

They looked to be in again when Benn dropped a high kick over his own line and a Swinton player dropped on the ball but referee Ian Smith ruled it out for a knock-on.

Three minutes later they did add a second. Substitute Steve Gartland, a third minute replacement for full-back Mark Welsby who hurt a shoulder in a try-saving tackle on Chris Judge, saw a big gap in the defence and dived over from acting half back to leave himself an easy kick.

Then five minutes before the interval they made it 14-4, centre Jimmy Evans touching down after finding another huge hole in a Wasps defence which had gone to sleep.

Dean Robinson made several tactical changes at half-time, Paul Darley coming on for his first game of the season in a straight swap for injured hooker Peter Edwards and Mick Crane replacing Fata Sini. Crane took over at scrum half with John Strange switching to full back and Jamie Benn moving onto the wing.

The changes seemed to be paying off but the side was upset again when Leigh Deakin was stretchered off with a neck injury six minutes into the half, holding play up for several minutes.

Another blow came midway through the half when Craig Booth and Ian Blease were both sent off, Blease for laying out Mark Cain in an off-the-ball incident and Booth for his part in the ensuing brawl.

But the punch-up seemed to fire up the Wasps, along with the vocal crowd, and three minutes later York were back in it. Crane, having a fine game on his return, found Chris Judge with a long ball and the second row man sent Benn in near the corner for the first of his two tries.

Ian Watson slotted over a drop goal to extend Swinton's lead to seven points but it was the only one of six attempts to find the target by the Lions whose tactics eventually cost them the game.

With ten minutes to go Hill set up a tense finale with a fine solo try. Darley tapped a penalty to Hill and the prop burst through two tackles and charged over the line with defenders trying desperately to haul him down.

Chris Hopcutt then became the second York player to be stretchered off a couple of minutes into stoppage time, extending the total injury time to ten minutes.

And it was deep into added on time that the Wasps clinched the points. Darley drove the ball in near the line and, with three Swinton players on his back, somehow popped the ball out of the tackle to the supporting Benn who dived over the line, quickly followed by his jubilant team-mates.

Jamie keeps his promise

by Dianne Hillaby

Match-winner Jamie Benn was as good as his word when he grabbed the injury-time touch down which saw York Wasps claim the two points in a 16-15 victory over Swinton Lions yesterday.

Paul Darley, who popped the ball out of the tackle to set up Benn's try, revealed: "Before the game Jamie said to me 'If you get the ball out I'll be with you every time' and on this occasion he was."

It was Darley's first game of the season after sustaining a fractured cheekbone in the pre-season clash with Hull Sharks, and he was delighted to play a part in the unlikely win which keeps York second in the Northern Ford Premiership.

Despite suffering five major injuries and ending the match with just 11 players, York hit back to turn a 14-4 interval deficit into a win, and Darley said: "We showed a lot of character to come back with 11 men. At the last scrum before the try I said to their hooker

'Imagine in the League Express tomorrow saying 11 men beat you' and he just laughed. Then we scored!"

Of his own performance, Darley, who played the whole of the second half after coming on as a substitute, said: "I think it's a confidence thing. Hopefully now I can crack on and go from here. My fitness is down at the moment and I was struggling towards the end. Now I need to play 80 minutes."

Benn, while crictical of his own display despite scoring two tries, said: "We never thought we would lose, even when we were down to 11 men. We kept digging in and eventually it paid off. I saw Paul trying to slip the ball out of the tackle and eventually he did and I just dived over the line.

"I think we were clock watching a bit but we had to keep plugging away - it's never over 'til the whistle goes."

Wasps Match Facts

Northern Ford Premiership, at Huntington Stadium

York Wasps 16

Tries: Callaghan (22), Benn (63, 78), Hill (73)Sent off: Booth 62

Jamie Benn 6, Iefata Sini 7, Chris Hopcutt 7, Shaun Austerfield 6, Leigh Deakin 6, Mark Cain 7, John Strange 6, Craig Booth 6, Peter Edwards 7, Steve Hill 9, Chris Judge 7, Matt Lambert 7, Darren Callaghan 6. Subs: Mick Crane (for Sini 40) 7, Mick Ramsden (Deakin 48) 6, Paul Darley (Edwards 40) 7, Lea Tichener (Steve Hill 27). Re-subs: Hill for Tichener 38, Sini for Ramsden 73

Scrums: 4. Penalties: 12.

Swinton Lions 15

Tries: Billy (25), Gartland (32), Evans (35)

Goals: Gartland

Drop goal: Watson

Sent off: Blease 62

Mark Welsby, Gavin Price-Jones, Phil Cushion, Jimmy Evans, Marlon Billy, Ian Watson, Damien Cleary, Ian Blease, Carl McCabe, Cliff Eccles, Howard Hill, Wes Rodgers, Paul Barrow. Subs: Steve Gartland (for Welsby 3). Not used: Darren Williams, Richard Henare, Ryan Stazicker

Scrums: 9. Penalties: 7

The Evening Press Man of the Match

Steve Hill:

Another unstoppable show from the man of the season so far. Made increadible yardage and scored a superb try at a vital time to give the Wasps a much needed boost

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.