Rosslyn Park ran out 32-30 winners in the National League One curtain raiser at Coventry in a dramatic match that was in the balance until the very last second.

With his side two points in arrears and the route to the try-line effectively barred, Coventry full-back Cliffie Hodgson, lined up a drop goal attempt.

The ball passed wide of the posts and the referee immediately blew for full time.

It was close, but any other result would have been an absolute travesty as Rosslyn Park battled on, showing spirit and resolution almost beyond the call of duty, a man short for more than 50 minutes of the game.

Indeed, for 10 minutes they were two men short - yet they still proved to be the better of two excellent sides.

After some early sparring, Park put together a good attack and with only two minutes on the clock winger Adam Field raced past a static home defence to score out on the right.

Fly half and skipper Scott Sneddon nailed a good conversion kick for 7-0.

Park tried to press home their advantage but were undone by a super counter-punch from Coventry, with quick ball from a scrum setting up winger Dom Lespierre to go in on the right, Hodgson converting for 7-7 on six minutes.

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Barging through: Sam Shires leads for Park

Both sides appeared to be committed to attacking rugby, with Park looking a bit stronger in midfield.

It was a super opportunist try by centre Dante Mama that swung the score back in the visitors’ favour, as he latched onto the ball just inside the Coventry half, kicked on and outpaced the defence to score on 11 minutes, Sneddon converting for 14-7.

When Cov gained a midfield penalty six minutes later, Park failed to retreat the necessary 10 metres quickly enough, to bring it into range for Hodgson to reduce the arrears to 14-10.

The tackling from both sides was ferocious - Park made a good raid through the middle but knocked on when a score looked possible.

Eventually Coventry conceded a penalty just inside their own half and Sneddon restored the margin at 17-10.

Park seemed now to be gaining the upper hand but were undone when they coughed up possession and Coventry number eight Jaques le Roux took full advantage to gallop in behind the posts, Hodgson slotted over the conversion for 17-17 on 25 minutes.

Park returned to the attack, and tempers boiled over on 28 minutes as several players got involved in a mass scuffle in which several punches were thrown on both sides.

Wimbledon Times:

One for starters: Adam Field scores Park’s first try

The referee, on the intervention of the touch judge, showed the yellow card to Coventry’s le Roux, but then reached back into his pocket and showed the red card to Dante Mama, leaving Park to play the remainder of the match a man short. It looked like a game-changer.

Park knew they had only 10 minutes in which their hosts would also be reduced to 14 men, and they threw everything they had into making it count.

Four minutes later, Cov hoisted a penalty into the Park 22, but the visitors launched a superb counter-attack with scrum-half Luke Carter sending winger Nev Edwards away and eventually it was full-back JJ Kilmartin who crossed the line for 22-17.

It got better for Park four minutes further on when flanker Northcote-Green streaked in from half-way for a super try, converted by Sneddon for 29-17 and the 4-try bonus point.

Just as it looked as if Park would take that lead into the interval Coventry, restored to full complement, forced a penalty which Hodgson kicked for 29-20 at half-time.

Wimbledon Times:

Score: Dante Manna heads for the line to score Park’s second try

The question seemed to be whether a 9 point cushion would be sufficient with only 14 men. Park clearly decided attack was the best policy and some rough play by the hosts yielded a difficult penalty, which Sneddon could not quite manage.

Things got even worse, though, for Park after only five minutes when Northcote-Green was yellow carded for a technical offence, leaving Park with just 13 men.

Hodgson kicked the resulting penalty to reduce the deficit to only six points, and Park looked to be in real trouble.

Their reaction was magnificent. Laying everything on the line they took the game to Coventry, gaining a penalty that was kicked to the corner for the catch and drive.

They threatened the home line with passing moves from side to side until a knock on intervened, and they played down the clock two men short, barely allowing Coventry out of their own half.

Restored to only one man short, they forced a penalty for Sneddon to increase the lead to 32-23 with 20 minutes to go.

Coach Alex Codling deployed the new rolling substitutes rule to keep his depleted numbers as fresh as possible.

Park’s tackling was simply superb and as the game entered its final moments a result that seemed impossible to contemplate seemed increasingly likely. But there was another twist, as Cov attacked desperately.

Park’s tigerish tackling denied them space, but the referee got a bit too close to the action and was bowled over.

He restarted the match with a scrum to Cov and the set piece gave the home side just the space they needed for winger Will Hurrell to dart over, Hodgson converting for 32-30.

Although the try was timed at 80 minutes, play was allowed to restart. Park’s tackling was up to the task as the clock ran even further down and then came that heart-stopping drop goal attempt.

Park: Kilmartin; Field, Mama, Ireland, Edwards; Sneddon; Carter; Liffchal, Bellamy, MacKenzie; Inglis, Boyle; Shires, Northcote-Green, MacFarlane.

Subs: Wright, Palframan,Bowley, Gash, Whelan.

Wimbledon Times:

On the charge: Nev Edwards leads for Park