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Giants end losing run

Huddersfield Giants 22 - 22 London Broncos

Dave Hadfield
Monday 25 June 2001 00:00 BST
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A converted try in injury time brought Huddersfield an unlikely draw to end their Super League record equalling run of 17 defeats.

The Giants looked certain to set a new and unwanted high watermark for ineptitude when the London Broncos' scrum-half, Dennis Moran, intercepted a pass from Brandon Costin to go 50 metres and give them a six-point lead with two minutes to play.

It would have been eight if Brett Warton's conversion attempt had not hit the post, and that turned out to be crucial.

With 80 minutes already on the clock, Costin performed that familiar sporting transformation from villain to hero by slipping out the pass from which David Atkins went over, and then completed the escape act by kicking the goal from halfway to touch with the last act of the match.

Against a patched-up London side, Huddersfield knew they would have few better chances to end their woeful losing sequence, but there was absolutely no sign of that in a first half that showed exactly why they are where they are.

London took the lead when Andy Johnson picked up Glen Air's pass to go over out wide and, although the visitors had to defend for long periods, Huddersfield were devoid of ideas and asked few questions.

A break out of defence by Nigel Roy saw the lead extended. Paul Reilly caught him, but Huddersfield were in turn caught offside and Worton landed the penalty.

The try from Moran that gave London a 12-point lead was on a different plane from anything else in a generally dire first half. He chipped over the defence, regathered and sold a dummy that put Chris Langley on his behind.

The introduction of their new signing, Stanley Gene, reinvigorated Huddersfield after the break and his try gave the first hint of a revival.

Even then, Roy's length of the field try, after Steve McNamara's kick had been fielded in-goal, seemed to have put the Broncos firmly back in control.

The Giants hit back through Martin Gleeson, taking a return pass from Andrew Frew, and, when Reilly went through some weary London tackling for a converted try that cut the margin to two points, the stage was set for that dramatic finish.

"I'm really pleased for the guys to get a point but the performance was pretty mixed,'' admitted the Huddersfield coach, Tony Smith. "I hope it has broken the duck and given them a bit of positive thinking about themselves.''

Huddersfield: Reilly; Frew, Cardoza, Gleeson, Langley; Costin, Custo; Malloy, Rowley, Marshall, Aitkens, Walker, McNamara. Substitutes used: Stone, Slicker, Lomax, Gene.

London: Sykes; Lupton, Johnstone, Roy, Warton; Gillett, Moran; Mestrov, Air, Retchless, Millard, Parker, Dymock. Substitutes used: Iwenofu, Dooley, Hughes, Sozi.

Referee: I Smith (Oldham).

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