GOLBORNE Parkside started the New Year with a tough away fixture against a rebuilt Burtonwood Bridge side that included the former Leigh Miners BARLA International forward Jon Light.

Playing with the wind behind their backs, Golborne took a 6 -0 lead after 10 minutes play with a try from hooker James Byrne converted by Stuart Arkwright after a good spell of pressure.

Play flowed from end to end as the big Burtonwood forwards put Golborne under pressure but the Golborne defence stood firm and they extended their lead with a try from young full back Ryan Kelly in the corner superbly converted from the touch line by Arkwright for a 12 -0 lead.

Despite playing against the wind Burtonwood were proving a tough nut to crack as their forwards continued to pose questions of the Golborne defence and gave indications that with the wind behind them in the second half they would be a serious threat. One minute before half time Stuart Arkwright dropped a goal to give Golborne a 13 -0 half time lead.

Golborne made a dream start to the second half with an unconverted try from Leon Davy for a 17-0 lead.

Bridge then took advantage of the conditions and with 28 minutes remaining put themselves back in the match with a converted try. The try gave Bridge hope for the first time in the game and, aided by a gale force wind and a surging hail storm, they powered their way into a 18-17 lead with two converted tries. And with just 10 minutes remaining they looked to have taken the spoils when they dropped a goal.

Golborne somehow managed to rescue a seemingly hopeless situation. Putting the Bridge defence under pressure with one minute remaining and on the last tackle, a kick through was gathered by man of the match Arkwright to race over for a match winning try.

Runner up in the man of the match voting was Carl Kelly with Leon Davy third.

This weekend Golborne face another tough task at home to the current Division Three league leaders Haydock, kick off 2pm

Meanwhile the second team, who have now gone over nearly two months with out a game due to the inclement weather, will hopefully continue their own promotion ambitions this Saturday with an away visit to Folly Lane.

The Under 18s went down by 18-6 away to Waterhead after being down by 6-4 at half time. The Golborne points came from a Stuart Goulding try and goal.

The Under 16's National Cup game was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.