After victory at Percy Park, a home win next week will secure promotion playoff

Stockport beat Percy Park to secure a 23-14 victory, which means that a win in next week’s final game against Rochdale at Headlands Road will secure at least second place and a promotion play off game against Sutton Coldfield at home on 26 April.
Despite a very positive start, with a converted penalty and an attack, which could have resulted in a fifth minute try for Joe Cantwell but for a last ditch tackle by the Percy Park wing, Stockport struggled to get a foothold in this game until the final quarter, when Percy Park had two in the sin bin.
The home side proved very tenacious, with a strong performance by their back row and a defence, which restricted Stockport in attack. A second penalty was added by Josh Longmore before a period of attack by the home side. Longmore had to make a clearance under pressure and the ball went into midfield and was collected by the Percy Park full back, who set the right wing free to beat Stockport’s defenders and score a converted try under the posts to make it 7-6. Stockport had plenty of possession but were unable to make any real penetration and apart from kicking a third penalty to make it 9-7 at half time did not look like getting past the Percy Park defence.
Percy Park came out strongly for the second half and for the next 25 minutes kept Stockport restricted to their own half. The Percy Park kicker missed two penalties, while Stockport kept trying to run the ball out of their 22, to no avail. Eventually the pressure told and the home scrum half made a break from a ruck 5 metres out to score and the conversion put Percy Park ahead by 14-9 with 20 minutes to go. A series of penalties and the two yellow cards for Percy Park at last allowed Stockport to get some superiority. Chris Roddy scored after a great drive from a line out following a penalty and Longmore’s conversion put Stockport back in front at 16-14. There were more penalties against Percy Park, allowing Stockport to keep them pinned in their 22. Roddy was just held up over the line after another good drive before Craig Anthony scored at the post after more patient recycling by the forwards, Longmore converted in the final minutes to secure the 23-14 win.