Coach calls for more clinical finishing from Tigers (From Prestwich and Whitefield Guide)

Coach calls for more clinical finishing from Tigers

12:00pm Thursday 25th October 2012 in Sport

SEDGLEY Park will need to be more clinical in their finishing if they are to register their first away win of the season at Old Albanians on Saturday.

The Tigers travel to St Albans on the back of a disappointing home defeat by Wharfedale when they paid dearly for failing to convert scoring chances into points.

“We blew an opportunity to register another win,” defensive coach Clive Griffiths said, reflecting on the 18-16 defeat that cost them a chance to edge into mid- table in National League One.

“We only have ourselves to blame because we had numerous chances and didn’t take them.

“That was a game we should have won but we were the architects of our own downfall. But we can’t dwell on that because Saturday is a massive game for us now.

“They (Albanians) are only a couple of points behind us in the table and we know they can attack. “We’ll be ready to handle that and go there with still the second best defensive record in the division – but we must be more clinical when the scoring chances come along.”

Sedgley led 7-0 at half time thanks to a Richard Oxley try, converted by Steve Collins, before a see-saw second half saw the lead change hands four times.

Collins landed three penalties before Wharfedale – in front for the first time when their second try of the game gave them a 12-10 lead – snatched a dramatic victory.

Griffiths described the late penalty award as “dubious” but insisted the points should have been sewn up long before the Yorkshiremen got the decisive final score.

“We should have shut the game out when we got ourselves back in front (at 16-15) but it shouldn’t have come to that,” he added.

“We should have taken our chances – in the first half in particular – when we were on their line a number of times and couldn’t finish it off.”

Tigers, 12th in the table with 18 points from eight games, will check on the fitness of scrum-half Simon Parrott before travelling south for their first ever meeting with Old Albanians, who are 16th – four places off the bottom.

Parrott is doubtful after going off with a shin injury on Saturday.