Logan double secures Traf cup win

Pier looked to have rattled their rivals, by pulling back to 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining, but the floodgates then opened in monsoon-like conditions at Scarborough Rugby Club, and Traf cantered to victory.

A close game always looked on the cards, as Traf went into the game without a number of players due to Alex Sheader’s stag do in Romania.

And the game trudged away to the slowest of starts, with the howling wind and torrential rain limiting any attractive football.

It took almost 30 minutes for the first chance to be created. But when Neil Thomas struck a sweet drive from the edge of the box, Pier keeper Jonny Hyde produced a fine stop.

Hyde earned further praise minutes later as he superbly palmed away Billy Logan’s stinging drive. Logan rose to meet the resulting corner, but he directed his header just past the post.

It took a moment of brilliance and fortune with five minutes of the half remaining to finally beat Hyde.

Jackson Jowett danced in from the right and rolled the ball to Rob Pinder. His shot took a wicked deflection, wrong-footing Hyde, before settling in the back of the net.

Hyde was back on form at the start of the second period, when Shaun Dodson’s downward header looked certain to register, but the Pier keeper somehow pushed it away.

Pier finally began to up the tempo after this, with Lloyd Henderson having a shot saved and then the referee turning his back on a good shout for a handball in the Traf box.

But they were caught for a second time when Billy Logan was felled by Dan Jones on the edge of the box. Logan’s free-kick caught two or three players and rolled into the bottom corner of Hyde’s net.

This stung Pier into action, and just seconds later they trimmed the lead.

After a huge melee in the Traf box, Cameron Dobson smashed in off the bar.

This was much to the disapproval of Traf, who complained of both handball and whether Dobson’s finish had actually crossed the line.

Pier then set out on a quest for the leveller, but their pressing left gaping holes at the back.

These were exploited in the final minutes, as Traf finished the clash in style.

Firstly, Logan beat the off-side trap, rounded Hyde and poked home.

Then Neil Thomas broke from the midfield and dinked delightfully over the stranded Pier stopper.

These goals killed the game as a spectacle and made sure Traf won their second cup of the season.