OMG on the 4G

You know it is going to be one of those days, when, scampering to the line, in the last minute, a player holds his right arm aloft, a la Chris Ashton in a premature celebration. Finger pointed to the heavens, the ball slips from his grasp as he trips, bobbles into the grateful clutches of a Middlesbrough player, who legs it to the line for a last minute score.
Fair play to Middlesbrough, they deserved their good fortune. Across three games, we won one, lost two, and all the matches were played in an excellent spirit, with some outstanding tackling and running from individuals on both sides. Unfortunately, Sunderland fell off the pace, as the games progressed and personnel changed.
Boro won 35-10, Ryan Crossley with a brace and 25-10, with Alex Mullaney and Lewis Irwin adding consolation scores.
Sunderland nailed a win with two good halves. Led by the outstanding Crossley, who almost single handedly tackled every Boro player, ably assisted by Adam Shiels. Crossley bagged a hat-trick and Sam Watson added one as Sunderland started brightly, with Boro pulling back two scores. In a second half, featuring both clubs' more confident players, Sunderland crossed the line twice through Adam Shiels and held the Teessiders at bay, final score 30-10 to Sunderland.
Special mention to Jack Cahill for his positional sense, Adam Shiels, for his gutsy commitment, Tom Howe for his passing out of the contact area and Alex Middleton for some excellent running, despite carrying a nasty bug. A big shout out to Jason Warrender, for his cheerfulness despite a certain celebration!
Man of the match: Ryan Crossley. Played out of his socks, for the team.