The weekend started, for me, in Hunslet on Friday afternoon with a couple of bus rides up to the airport. But there are no flights to Plymouth on a Friday afternoon…..so we flew to Exeter, after a few beers and some debate as to the team’s prospects for the morrow. After a brief visit to our lodgings we were out for a curry & more muscle relaxant. The next morning we walked down to Exeter station for our train to Plymouth. This caused some consternation for the locals who thought that they were playing Donny (which they were!) After further perambulations across Plymouth we arrived at a much changed Brickfield stadium. What has not changed is the warm welcome that you receive from the local fans. The usual suspects soon began to assemble outside the clubhouse in the pale Devon sunshine.

By the time the match started one or two casks of South Hams ale had been liberated by the thirsty travelers. Even to those who were a little worse for wear it was soon obvious that Albion had neither the guile nor the muscle to get over the Leeds tryline. The ‘Neegs  seemed content to poddle along in second gear  and for much of the first half the score remained 0-0. Albion then sneeked a drop goal from close range which galvanized the champs into an upfield charge with Fosi crossing out wide. Jason Strange added the extras & the result was never in doubt after that (we had  thought it might be a 0-0 draw) Albion reduced the arrears with a penalty but Leeds looked comfortable at the halfway point with the prospect of the breeze behind them in the second half.

At this point two things happened. The Bedford-Esher score was announced much to the relief of the locals (Bedford winning = Albion safe) and the weather got quite chilly.

The second half was as unremarkable as the first and it occurred to me that those players who might be trying to impress for new contracts had, so far, failed to do so ( at least they had not impressed me). Villi came on & crashed over for a score. Vickerman, quiet for much of the match, nipped through to convert a little grubber kick and that was that. Our man of the match was Danny Paul who seems to get better by the game and was a real handful for the Albion defenders.

Neil Back had a good moan at the ref at the close due to some poor/bizarre decisions but the result ( and the one at Bedford) suited everyone. After the game the visiting fans, including our very own Haxbytyke, spent much time wheedling information out of the players about comings and goings. One or two of the declared leavers will be missed but we have been assured by our Samoan prop that we will all be very happy in the next couple of weeks, presumably when we hear who has signed up for the coming season.

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