South Lancs/Cheshire League Division One

Liverpool St Helens 26, Oswestry 1sts 3

Oswestry boss Dan Samuels believes his side had more than enough chances to win as they were beaten at Liverpool St Helens on Saturday.

The Eagles lost 26-3 to the fourth-placed side and failed to score a try in their first clash of 2017 as they remain bottom of South Lancs/Cheshire Division One, 12 points off Anselmians.

But director of rugby Samuels thought his side could have come out of the game with a win, had they been better at what he called ‘the little things’.

He said: “The little things made the difference today.

“We had the same opportunities to score as they did except they took their’s and we didn’t. We talked about why. The boys know what they’ve got to do.

“It’s back to the field on Tuesday, with lots to work on and build upon. Chins up, look forward and move forward. Every game is a winnable game.”

It was a much depleted Eagles side that travelled to Merseyside, with injuries and last-minute cancellations changing Samuels’ plans, and the disruption was clearly noticeable.

LSH scored straight from the kick-off, with the Eagles stunned by the speed of their attack – however, the hosts missed the conversion.

Oswestry settled into the game with some good defending, especially full back Luca Owen Youens, and the game was on a knife edge before Liverpool St Helens crashed over again with the Eagles making silly mistakes.

The try was converted and LSH led 12-0 at the break, but the Eagles came out fighting in the second period, with man-of-the-match James Roberts leading by example as he threw himself into tackle after tackle.

However, discipline on both sides was starting to wain as the hosts were given yellow and red cards, but LSH asserted their dominance to make it 26-3 at the end – the Eagles grabbing a solitary penalty consolation.

Oswestry face Manchester at home next Saturday and the club is urging all rugby fans, and sport lovers, in the town to get behind the Eagles and act as a 16th man to help the team out.