The first half hour of the contest was scoreless although Josh Canning’s side twice got close to the try line only to be held up. Then the hosts went close on 31 minutes but squandered a two man overlap with a forward pass.
At the resulting scrum, Burntwood opened the scoring with a superb coast to coast try. Hal Gozukucuk picked up from a scrum which was under pressure. He drove to the Burntwood 22 before feeding Tom Shorrock. Charles Michael and Josh Massey were up in support to take play over halfway and Massey’s inside pass took out the last defender for Brett Taylor to score. His conversion attempt rebounded off a post.
Telford responded with a dribble through to the visitors’ 5 metre line but lost the line out and Burntwood cleared to halfway.
As half time approached, each side lost a player to a yellow card for a brief altercation, Massey for Burntwood, then the hosts edged ahead. They won a scrum under pressure and when the ball reached the outside half, he cut back against the grain to race round the blind side to set up a try scored behind the posts for 7-5.
Burntwood immediately regained the lead after the half time break. Telford knocked-on at the kick off to present the visitors with a scrum. Billy Fisher looked to be clean through only to be tap tackled but his side kept possession. Gozukucuk featured three times in a move which ended with Shorrock driving for the line before Jack Johnson squeezed over in the corner.
Five minutes later and Telford went back in front. Burntwood knocked-on on their own 22 line and from the scrum, the Telford No. 10 picked a good line to race to the posts.
Massey’s return to action saw him go on a good run out of his own 22 to earn a penalty award which was kicked to the home 22. A sustained attack cost Telford a player to a yellow card for going offside close to his own line. A series of tap and drives was finished off by Gozukucuk who stretched over near the posts for a try converted by Taylor.
On the hour mark the hosts made it 21-17 when they had a couple of close range penalty awards which they turned unto a converted try.
With no more than a score between the sides so far, the decisive moment arrived on 66 minutes. A promising Burntwood attack was turned over near the Telford line and the hosts counter-attacked. Despite two solid tackles by Kian Carter, they managed to work the ball left to run in unopposed by the posts.
In the final ten minutes Telford lost another player to a yellow card, this time for a high tackle, but the visitors couldn’t turn promising positions into points.
So a disappointing end to the league season for Burntwood but a 4th place finish is still the best position they have ever achieved at this level in the league structure and they still have a county cup final to look forward to.
The 2nd team also emerged with much credit after their first season in the Midlands leagues. They ended the campaign with their third win on the trot to defeat St. Leonards 28-5 at the CCE Sportsway. Their final record is played 22, won 11 lost 11 for what is predominantly an under 20s squad.
Burntwood 1sts have a bye in the first round of the Papa John Cup next Saturday so attention turns to the 2nds who travel the short distance to face Lichfield 2nds in the first round of the Staffs Centenary Cup competition.