IT was the last move of the attack at Dockham Road, writes Dave Kent. Already in injury time (although this could not be verified as the official club clock was not working) Cinderford were 6 points behind. The lively Cinderford backs created a break and wing forward Joe Mullis was clear through, touching down with a triumphant dive under the posts, with Joe Winfield making the easy conversion.

The final score was 24-23 last Saturday, which was probably about right. The Cinderford scrum was dominant, and earned a penalty try which ultimately gave Cinderford their victory.

Cinderford won with this last move of the match and Darlington Mowden Park went back to County Durham with four unconverted tries and a last-minute defeat. It was a welcome win for Cinderford and will help to preserve their position in National League 1.

This  would normally be celebrated by Forest rugby fans such as me, who would only rejoice in a Cinderford defeat if it were by a Forest team such as Lydney.

Unfortunately Lydney have sunk down to regional status and Cinderford have gone national, so a meeting between Lydney and Cinderford on the rugby field may well be many years ahead.

But I have to confess that I was at last Saturday’s match with my Mowden Park cap and shirt on, cheering on my old team from long ago.

I carried with me a team photo from 1964-65, with myself as a youthful member of that team, who were then known as Darlington Grammar School Old Boys. (There’s none so fair as can compare with the DGSOB, as we used to sing.)

The club, as a closed club for us old boys, would not qualify for funding for ground and club house improvements until it was open to all, so it changed its name to a suburb of Darlington. 

The photo was to introduce myself to the Mowden Park supporters, to whom I regaled my Darlington rugby stories about times before they were born.

Local supporters were commiserating about my long journey from the north east, and I had to confess that Cinderford is not that far from Newnham.

I had a varied Forest rugby career over the last 50 years, playing for Bream, refereeing and as a committee member at Lydney, when Lydney and Cinderford were in the same national league.

But I suppose that, in these days when funding of senior clubs is a problem, the Forest can only support one team playing at the national level.

So I would encourage all rugby fans to support their own clubs at local level, but to support our one national league club, Cinderford RFC, at the national level, as I do (except when they are playing against the mighty Darlington Mowden Park, of happy and distant memories).