A SERIES of simple errors led to Coventry Bears’ downfall as they slipped to a narrow defeat at Newcastle Thunder in the Kingstone Press Division One.
The Bears went to Newcastle on Sunday in determined mood off the back of a great result last week against South Wales.
And the visitors gave Newcastle an almighty scare at Kingston Park as they led the game 16-12 right up until the final quarter thanks to tries from Richie Hughes, Andy Unsworth and Cameron Boulter.
But fatigue got the better of them late into the match and Newcastle did just about enough to secure a narrow 24-16 win.
“It was another disappointing end to what was a very strong performance from us,” said Bears head coach Tom Tsang.
“At the start of the year we were pretty much a brand new set of players and have only just, the last six weeks or so really started to gel together and the players understand each other and have confidence in the combinations we are working on.
“We were leading at half time to Barrow, leading after 70 minutes on Sunday and had strong patches against other top sides.
“There were some simple errors in the last ten minutes that gave Newcastle the possession they needed to finish strong. I feel for our guys who played today, as they didn’t get the reward their effort deserved.
“Our main focus now will be to finish strong against London and Gloucester – games that are both at home and then use that momentum to push into next season.”
This weekend Tsang’s side have time off because of the Challenge Cup Final before they host London Skolars at the Butts Park Arena on September 6.