This is a tale of redemption. Fylde's heavy defeat at Lightfoot Green in September - was hard to take for everyone associated with the Woodlands club.

This excellent Fylde performance was, in its own way, as dominating as 'Hoppers' had been on their own ground.

And the biggest attendance for a club match at the Woodlands in several seasons - 1,350 - were there to witness it.

Fylde took control of the game from the kick-off. Pressure from their pack led to a 'Hoppers offence in front of their posts and skipper Mike Scott converted the simple penalty.

The game was being played almost entirely in the Preston half.

Fylde's cause this season has been undermined time and again by poor discipline. This week their coaches drummed home the importance of not giving points and territory away by conceding silly penalties.

Although the game was fiercely competitive with both teams putting in scores of tackles, it was played in fine spirit.

From one penalty that Fylde did concede in midfield on 35 minutes, winger Paul Bailey had a chance to level the scores. His kick from the halfway line was a beauty and 'Hoppers were undeservedly level at 3-3.

The second period started with Fylde dominating possession and constantly probing for openings both around the fringes of ruck and maul, and wide out.

Fylde's livewire scrum-half Paul Newton had picked up a dead leg in the first half and played the rest of the match with great lan on one leg. But more troublesomely, Fylde lost prop Richard Hanson four minutes into the second half with a groin injury to be replaced by Sam Simpson.

On 49 minutes Scott unaccountably missed a straightforward penalty but made amends a few minutes later when he notched a good drop goal to break the deadlock.

He repeated the medicine on 61 minutes to give his side a 9-3 lead. 'Hoppers' game became increasingly ragged as they struggled to get back on level terms in a tense period of play. Fylde battled back into the 'Hoppers half and spurned a couple of gilt edged try scoring chances.

Preston were by now starting to fashion space for the dangerous Viney to run at the Fylde defence. One Viney breakout looked like it would lead to a score but he was half held by Kenyon. Out of nowhere came flanker King who cut him down and forced him into conceding a penalty for holding on to the ball on the ground.

Back at the other end though came the crucial score on 71 minutes. Fylde again won good, clean ball and Wallwork, who had just replaced the limping Newton at scrum-half, fed Scott. Under great pressure from the fast closing Preston backline the Cumbrian hooked a lovely drop towards the posts and it drifted between them to put his side two scores ahead.

The jubilation amongst the Fylde players at the final whistle said everything. Veteran prop Matt Filipo was man of the match.