A very lacklustre Sandbach visited Liverpool St Helens. The weather conditions were foggy and the dullness of the day was matched by the tone of the game. From the off, neither side seemed very energetic and the game was initially at a very sedentary pace. The second half was more dynamic but Sandbach's slowness to the ball, poor passing and lack of passion handed the initiative to LSH.
There were many poor decisions from the referee for both sides and at times he didn't seem to be in control of the game, which resulted in players from both teams becoming quite fractious in the second half. A gritty Sandbach defensive performance meant they were only 7-3 down at the break and there was some optimism that the tide could turn in the second half. However LSH managed to get their total to 27 whereas Sandbach only had a Will Cargill penalty to show for their efforts. The turning point came on 43 minutes when Will Stockdale was yellow carded for an infringement and LSH managed to accrue 12 points in the period he was off. On his return Sandbach were quickly back down to 14 when Ally Burton was sin binned. Overall a poor second half performance that lacked both character and control from the Bradwall Road side as they rarely threatened to break their hosts, with Aaron Cushnie's performance being the only highlight of a grim day. Both discipline and the game plan will have to be closely looked at this week, as the team seeks to win another derby against local rivals Wilmslow on Saturday.