BLAYDON were greatly relieved to end their five-match losing run and take the five points on offer after making heavy weather of beating the team who are next to the bottom of National One.

There are clearly problems for player-coach Micky Ward to address and the fitness of some players might be questioned as Blaydon were hanging on grimly at the end after leading 22-3.

They looked like steam-rollering their young and lightweight opponents in the first ten minutes, when two tries resulted from the one-way traffic.

Wharfedale looked a few gnarled old sheep farmers short of a competitive unit, but they were willing to run the ball from anywhere and their forwards got on top in the last 20 minutes.

Given that he's a seven-a-side specialist, if Hartlepool-born Aaron Myers is to play in a pack of eight it surely has to be at open side. Yet he was forced to forage with his usual vigour from blind side as Wharfedale have an even smaller No 7 in Dan Solomi, who burrowed over for one of their second half tries.

There were still seven minutes left when they got the gap down to five points and a run up the right by their other ex-West Hartlepool man, Scott Jordan, allowed them to spend injury time pressurising the line again.

Having retired, along with skipper Matt Hall, midway through the second half, Ward had to go back on to lead the late resistance when Robbie Kalbraier limped off.

Ward admitted that he'd had a tough week after his side shipped 50 points at Cinderford, and this time he must have wondered how on earth they had let Wharfedale back into the game.

Initially it seemed scrum half Hall Charlton would make a huge difference on his debut as his fast and accurate service launched waves of attacks.

Centre Matt Clarke, always a threat, took a long pass to burst down the middle from halfway just prior to lock Chris Wearmouth driving over for a third minute try.

Six minutes later Charlton twice probed the narrow side up the right before the ball was moved left and No Chris Jones scored in the corner.

But the stream of possession Charlton had enjoyed dried up and as Wharfedale got into the game Jordan almost jinked over in the right corner.

Centre Tom Davidson kicked a penalty on the half hour and just before the interval his next attempt went over the top of the left upright.

The flags stayed down and it prove a crucial moment as Blaydon drove upfield, centre Charles Incledon burst on to a short pass and almost made the line before Kalbraier forced his way over.

With Andrew Baggett missing all three conversions, it was 15-3 at half-time and Blaydon got the bonus point try 13 minutes later. They had four five-metre scrums in quick succession and as the visitors kept infringing a penalty try was awarded by referee Wayne Falla, the former Northumberland cricketer.

Given the pressure they had been under, it was amazing how Wharfedale's pack turned the tide and began to batter away at the home line.

Solomi finished a catch-and-drive then five minutes of relentless pressure ended with a replacement prop driving over.

This time Davidson's kick went over the top of the left upright and the touch judges again looked unsure, but Mr Falla awarded the two points.

Suddenly a Wharfedale win looked entirely possible. Instead it was a fourth successive narrow defeat for a club whose admirable tenure at this level is looking shaky. Blaydon can breathe a little more easily, but not a lot.