Birkenhead were billed as the form team in the league going into this game and they definitely looked like a side who knew how to win games. With a strong wind gusting straight across the Brinkburn pitch they opted for a territorial game, with the boot of fly-half Tony Handley working well, and their big pack controlled most of the possession making them difficult to beat. West had their moments but didn't have enough ball and didn't create the scoring opportunities they needed to win.

West competed well early on despite the lack of possession and went ahead on 20 minutes thanks to a superbly struck penalty from 40 metres by Paul Moss. Unfortunately, almost straight from the restart, Aaron Myers was harshly penalised when he looked have won a turnover and Dave Hall levelled for the visitors.

The game was looking like a low scoring, battle of the kickers type affair until the closing stages of the half. With 38 minutes gone Birkenhead worked a short throw at the lineout and hooker Chris Jones crashed over, West's appeals for the throw not going 5 metres waved away. Hall added a penalty two minutes into injury time and, in the last act of the half Jones popped up for his second try, converted by Hall. West had conceded 15 points in 8 minutes and never really recovered.

An incident during the conversion of the second try seemed to rattle the home players and a lengthy debate ensued with referee Ged Stone over the half-time drinks. Whatever was said didn't seem to work in West's favour as they conceded a flurry of penalties early in the second half, losing Chris Stewart and Jamie Connolly to the sin-bin early on.

Handley assumed the kicking duties with Hall leaving the field and he slotted over a penalty on 50 minutes after an extended period of pressure in the 22.

Birkenhead flanker Njike Tchakoute was also yellow carded for a high tackle and West finally began to show what they could do and had their best passage of the game. Colin Cheslin, on as a first half substitute for the injured Gareth Kerr, scored from close range after a period of pressure generated an overlap on the right. West kept coming at the visitors and were camped on the line, Carl Robinson and Darren Thomas both going close, but couldn't score and when a penalty relieved the pressure Birkenhead worked the ball up-field and eventually scored through centre Steven Dodd. It signalled the end to the mini-revival West had launched and although they held the visitors out for another 10 minutes, fellow centre Gary Lunt sealed the victory when he touched down a minute into injury time.

Next week's rearranged trip to Darlington will give West the chance to bounce back from this disappointing performance and hopefully break the away duck that has blighted them all season.


West: Hare, Kerr (C Cheslin), Hodgson, Connolly, A Cheslin, Moss, Thomas, C Robinson, Sawyer, Stewart (Coates), T Dixon, I Robinson, D Boatman (D Morrison), Myers, Vinnicombe.

Try: C Cheslin
Pen: Moss
Sin-bin: Stewart, Connolly.

Birkenhead Park: Hall, Molloy, Dodd, Lunt, Scott, Handley, Lowry, G Jones, C Jones, M Ibbotson, Blyth, Saidi, Tchakoute, Johnston, D Ibbotson.

Tries: C Jones 2, Dodd, Lunt
Con: Hall
Pens: Hall 2, Handley
Sin-bin: Tchakoute

Referee: Ged Stone