Not our best performance but a solid win. A good defensive display again and i dont think the win was ever in doubt. A couple of things that really annoyed me; firstly the Gateshead tactics were obviously to commit 3/4 defenders into ever tackle and slow the play of the ball down. Well that worked a treat as the ref allowed this to happen at every play of the ball, i lost count of the number of times an additional defender came into the tackle when it was complete. Secondly, what the hell has happened to Mike Coady? When he went to Leeds i was dissapointed as i thought he was going to be a big assett to the Dons. Since we've had him on loan he has been totally inaffective and his bodly language is awful, todays game was a case in point.

Anyway, another solid win. Next week we will need to have much more intensity to push Swinton.

big fat zero in points against column,now that takes some doing whoever you play against, a win is a win at this stage i not too disappointed as gateshead put in a shift today with may be little skill they should feel proud of their efforts though not perhaps the ref gateshead DID try and slow the game down..

You aren't alone in that thinking. He doesn't look half the player he was



Only two thoughts;

No longer a winger (although stepping back down to this level he ought to be able to pull it off)

but probably more importantly ...

I also picked up on the body language ... perhaps it's as simple as he just doesn't want to be here?

Could it be a confidence issue? Maybe if he scores a couple of tries he will get it back. The standard of some of the officiating (including touch judges) in the division is appaling. Is the RL that obsessed with fast tracking people through at the expense of actual ability?

Swinton is a six pointer and unless I am wrong and happy to be corrected winning the league gains automatic promotion - so in my eyes it is a must win as now we have a very attainable chance of going top thanks to our own efforts and some recent favourable results - looking at recent form Swinton will NOT be the hardest of our remaining games. Hope that helps......

Tony Miller said to the press afterwards, that Friday is a must win if we are to achieve automatic promotion. Swinton should have been out of site but have been pegged back.

Miller said if we win on Friday, then several clubs will be thinking they can achieve automatic, but if we lose, then as tony said, it will be swintons title. We have been treating every week as a playoff game which i found a interesting line. but i suppose its worked , six unbeaten

If Tony says its a must win game I stand corrected.

I maybe TM!!!

It's only a must win game because now we have a chance to win the division outright, otherwise it's not.
But if Miller thinks we can win this one aye-ho-nonny-no.
If he plucked an experienced scrum-half from somewhere we might, but otherwise forget it. He's dreaming.
We are crippled in the middle without Fawcett, anyone can see that.

Hope China & Potts are available also .

Potts will be available, and china should be back aswell. it was potts 21st and been to the grand prix, this was booked a long time ago. credit to tony for letting players have weeks off, with how much they get paid it is right to do so