Jonny's injury was the biggest disaster on a day when his teammates should have overcome adversity to seal the first away win of the season. In the end they succumbed to a last minute penalty which pinched the points for a jubilant home side.
The defeat was made even more sour by the replay of the Stockport club video. It appeared to confirm the West claims that a 37 minute breakaway try by Stockport flanker John Wilson should not have been awarded.
Paul Vinnicombe had picked uop at the base of scrum, just inside the West half, but, as he went to feed Davy Tighe, Wilson charged through knocking the ball forward before picking up and racing in under the posts. This made it 14-10 to the home side at the break.
To be fair to referee Steve Penfold the knock on was also missed by several of the pitifully small number of West supporters on the touchline - but not by the West coaches or players.
But you win some and you lose some and we went on to dominate the second half - and should have sealed the game off.
Stockport had begun eager to put their home defeat by Morley last week behind them. Using the slope, they kicked for territory and went ahead on the quarter hour when full back Greg Newton burst into the line racing through a massive gap in the inside centre channel to touch down under the posts.
The home lead was short lived as we attacked from the kick off. Jamie Connolly made space in the centre of the field and drew the markers to make space for full back Iain Dixon to take his chance. Moss converted to make it 7-7.
Carlo Robinson, wearing a bandage round his head after a second minute blood injury, was then yellow carded for deliberate offside as Stockport attacked, and then three minutes later Jonny Boatman went down in some considerable pain with his injury.
His colleagues kept plugging away and Paul Moss notched an excellent 40 metre penalty to put West 7-10 up - only for that highly controversial try to put us in arrears at half-time.
With Carl Miller on for Jonny Boatman, West took the game to the hosts and Vinnicombe burst out of defence to almost set Gareth Kerr away.
Moss reduced the deficit to just one point with a penalty on 50 minutes. But Stockport increased their lead when prop Andy Fuller popped up in the outside centre position, just ten metres from the line, and a desperate attempt by Kerr failed to stop him ploughing over.
West were 19-13 down, but playing with enough flair and invention to give supporters some confidence. The pressure paid on 55 minutes when Iain Dixon got his second try of the afternoon. Again it was Connolly on a burst who drew two men. Dixon was on his shoulder to beat the cover and set Moss up for a conversion which made it 19-20.
West continued to dominate territory and could have gone further ahead on 63 minutes but Moss uncharacteristically sent a 25 metre penalty just wide of the right upright.
The West forwards continued to dominate in the loose, only for pressure to be twice relieved on the home line. Mr Penfold judging the tackled players had been holding on. A grateful Stockport frantically worked their way back up the pitch with the clock ticking away.
They were presented with one penalty opportunity from 40 metres, which was well wide, but, despite this warning, West were judged to have transgressed again and this time Steve Pearson got the three points which secured the home win.
Stockport 15 Greg Newton 14 James Dalton 13 Craig Cooper 12 Stephen Pearson 11 Dan Eccles 10 Dave Rees 9 Phil Leigh 1 Tom Cruse 2 Andy Fuller 3 Jan-Erik Anderson 4 Graham Chenoweth 5 Dave Marwick 6 John Wilson 7 Reuben Havery 8 Peter Bredenkamp 16 Ian Kennedy 17 Christian Chapman 18 Mike Raven
Scorers:Newton - try Wilson - try, Fuller - try. Pearson 2 con 1 pens
West15 Iain Dixon 14 Andrew Cheslin 13 Gareth Kerr 12 Jamie Connolly 11 Colin Cheslin 10 Paul Moss 9 Davy Tighe 1 Anth Carr [capt] 2 Andrew Dixon 3 Carl Robinson 4 Tom Dixon 5 Dan Boatman 6 Jon Boatman 7 Aaron Myers 8 Paul Vinnicombe 16 Jon Norris 17 Carl Miller 18 Darren Thomas Scorers: Iain Dixon - 2 tries]. Paul Moss - 2 cons 2 pens.