NATIONAL ONE: Plymouth Albion 13 Moseley 16

A try six minutes from time by replacement lock Paul Arnold gave Moseley a superb and well-deserved victory at the Brickfields on Saturday.

It was incredibly their eighth away win of the season in the league, and it ended a three-match losing run. It was also a great way to bounce back from their thumping 43-5 home defeat by Bedford Blues last time out.

In the lead-up to the game, Moseley coach Don Caskie had thrown down the gauntlet to the players to stake a claim for a place in the squad next season, and they responded in some style as they piled on the misery for Graham Dawe's men.

Albion have now won only two of their last 13 games in the league - a dismal record by their high standards.

Moseley, boosted by the return of a number of their on-loan players from Gloucester, with Jack Adams and Charlie Sharples restored to the starting line-up, played against the very strong wind in the first half, but they only trailed 6-3 at the interval.

That was down to some very intelligent play from the Midlanders, producing some excellent close-range handling to keep possession of the ball for long periods of the opening 40 minutes.

Moseley made the brighter start to the game, but it was Albion who took the lead in the third minute when Moseley were penalised for not releasing and fly half Brad Davies - who Moseley had been hoping to sign on loan from Gloucester before he made a permanent transfer to Albion last summer - slotted a well-struck 30-metre penalty.

However, it came as no surprise when Moseley levelled the scores after 19 minutes.

It came from the boot of fly half Greg MacDonald who put over a relatively simple penalty after Albion had been caught offside in front of their own posts.

Davies struck again for the hosts in the 26th minute with a 22-metre penalty awarded for offside to edge Albion back in front at 6-3, and they came close to scoring the opening try of the game soon after, when scrum-half Ed Lewsey was held up over the line.

Albion went for the pushover five-metre

scrum, but Moseley defended resolutely to keep

them out.

Moseley levelled the scores soon after the break with a second MacDonald penalty after Albion's Tongan centre Keni Fisilau was yellow-carded for a high tackle on opposite number Paul Cox.

Albion, though, made light of their one-man disadvantage. Moseley gave away a penalty from the restart, Albion kicked to the corner and when the visitors subsequently pulled down the rolling maul, referee Andrew Vertigan played good advantage, allowing Lewsey to send French winger Nic Sestaret under the posts for the opening try of the game. Davies converted and Albion were suddenly seven points clear at 13-6.

With Albion restored to full strength, Moseley went for their own kick to the corner from a penalty, but were thwarted by a crooked line-out throw.

They eventually got three points back with a 69th-minute MacDonald penalty - his third of the game - and they sensed victory was there for the taking as they dominated possession.

Their efforts were eventually rewarded in the 74th minute, with a period of sustained pressure close to the Albion line resulting in England Counties second row forward Arnold driving over for Moseley's 50th league try of the season, and MacDonald converted to put the visitors three points ahead.

Moseley then cleverly closed the game out to record their tenth league win of the season and make it a very enjoyable trip back up the M5.

PLYMOUTH ALBION: Saumi, Ritchie, Cruickshanks, Fisilau (Laidlaw, 76), Sestaret, Davies, Lewsey, Mathias, Owen, Zimmerman (Evans, 62), Stewart (Lowrie, 76), Hayes (capt), Marriott (Stroud, 76), Denbee (Kettle, 76), Bornman. Replacements not used: Cane, Dawe.
MOSELEY: Binns, Sharples, Adams, Cox, Bressington, MacDonald, Taylor, Williams, McMillan, Forster (Buxton, 74), Atkinson, Stott (Arnold, 60), Mason (M Evans, 60), R Bignell, J Rodwell. Replacements not used: D Oselton, Lewis, James, Winter.
Referee: Andrew Vertigan (RFU).