Cinderford secured a much needed four points with a hard fought victory over visiting Loughborough Students. The Foresters had obviously done their homework as they set out to starve their quick fire visitors of possession and keep them under the hammer with a series of scrums in their 22.
Cinderford outside-half James Moffat kicked a penalty for the foresters on seven minutes and Loughborough were then forced to substitute the hard pressed tight-head George Davis.
Replacement Josh McNulty stemmed the tide for only a few moments before the Foresters turned the screw for Stef Hawley to steal in for a try on the left wing on 27 minutes. Moffat converted from the touch line. Cinderford kept surging forward and right wing Alex Frame finished off a long period of sustained pressure speeding over just after the half-hour.
Nevertheless the students started the second period with a superb try as fly-half Will Edwards took a flat ball from a line out to flash through and send in centre Rhys Owen for an unconverted try. Moffat kicked a penalty for the Foresters but Cinderford made a hash of the restart and offered up an off the top line out ball for Edwards to crash over for a try converted by scrum-half Tom James.
Cinderford regained their cool and drove hard into the Students 22 but some superb defence by Loughborough and some uncharacteristic muddled thinking from the foresters kept the game in the balance until the seventy fourth minute when Cinderford skipper and full back Mike Wilcox latched onto an inch perfect Moffatt cross-kick to speed over for a try in the corner that Moffat converted with aplomb.
Overall a great win for the Forest of Dean team who now go to old Albanian RFC for another make or break fixture.