LIFE IN THE LIONS

By STEVE BOTT

TWO Paul Smith tries weren't enough to give Swinton a much-needed league victory, but the Lions performance did put a spring back in the step of coach Mike Gregory.

For Swinton battled away in an entertaining, hard-fought game and looked more like a Rugby League team again rather than a disjointed, dispirited bunch of no-hopers.

It's six games now since the Lions last won a league match, but if they continue in the same vein as they did against the table-topping Rams that elusive victory will not be long in coming.

It looked like it was going to be more of the same when Dewsbury's left winger Richard Baker raced in close to the corner flag off a smart Adrian Flynn pass after just four minutes. But Swinton hit back with a well-worked try in the 11th minute. A great pass by Paul Loughlin to Andy Cheetham opened the way for him to feed veteran Phil Veivers.

He set off for the line and just made it as the Rams cover closed in on him, his momentum, rather than pace carrying him over.

Mick Nanyn added the goal and Swinton held the lead to give their supporters new heart.

It lasted all of seven minutes until Dewsbury second rower, also called Paul Smith, raced in for a spectacular 50-yard solo try.

The towering Smith's long-legged stride took him clear as he powered up the wing before cutting inside to make the angle for David Mycoe's kick at goal easier. It was a double blow for Swinton who had lost new loan signing Mike Loughlin with a knee injury two minutes earlier.

That delay while Loughlin was receiving treatment before being led, limping heavily, off the pitch was to prove costly later, but it looked like the Lions were going to roar back again in the 24th minute when Cheetham set Lee Hudson up on the right wing 15 yards out.

With everyone expecting Hudson to race for the line, he passed back inside and the chance was gone.

Still, it looked like Swinton were hanging on to go in trailing by just four points at the interval until they let Dan Potter in for a soft try in the third minute of time added on.

That mean that the first try scored in the second half was going to be crucial and when Sean Richardson danced in on the right in the 57th minute and Mark Cain added the goal, Dewsbury held a commanding 14-point lead.

But that's when the new-look Swinton really came to the fore. Phil Waring's pass put Paul Smith into a huge gap to the left of the posts in the 59th minute and seven minutes later Swinton's other new boy, Dale Holdstock, got a great pass out in the tackle to send Smith in again close to the posts.

Nanyn added both goals and it was game on again with 14 minutes still to play.

Rams' hooker Richard Pachniuk went in under the posts in the 74th minute, but Swinton breathed again when the effort was ruled out for a forward pass.

But the Lions blew a great chance to snatch victory in the final minute when the ball was kicked forward rather than retaining possession as they attacked the Rams line.

That had Gregory doing a passable impression of Victor Meldrew, but overall he was more than pleased with the Lions performance.

"I am a lot happier," he said. "If we had played like that against Rochdale, Workington and Hunslet we would have had six points.

"I felt we deserved more than we got out of the game. We showed character and a lot of brains, apart from that last move where we kicked for kicking's sake.

"But it was a thousand times better and I am quite upbeat about it.

"If we can build on this performance now it's preparation for next week's game. If they step back and don't learn from it, as a coach it makes me redundant."

SWINTON LIONS: Cheetham, Hudson, Nanyn, Bateman, Mead, P Loughlin, Waring, M Loughlin, Barraclough, Hansen, Cushion, Smith, Veivers. Substitutes: Butler, Holdstock, Napolitano, Doherty. Referee: Mr P W Lee. Attendance: 843.