ROB Campbell highlighted a problem area in Crosfields’ game this year after they narrowly won at bottom side Clock Face Miners.

Soap came home 10-6 in the National Conference League Division One clash, which keeps them seventh and just three points from the top three.

But they were kept scoreless in the second half and had two players sent to the sin bin but stayed composed and resilient, defending six continuous sets on their line at one stage.

In wet conditions it was Soap who made fewer errors in the end but made hard work of beating a side that just would not give in.

The St Helens side were spirited and aggressive in the second half and took the game by the scruff of the neck.

“That was a tough watch in the second half, but we dug deep and refused to be bullied,” said Campbell.

“I’m very proud of our defensive efforts and we’ll take the win and build on it.

“We scored two great tries through Joe Kohe-Love and Tom Smith, and I thought we deserved the lead at half time, but we didn’t use our sets cleverly in the second half and that’s something we have struggled with all season.”

Soap will return to action at second-bottom Skirlaugh on Saturday, July 27.

Meanwhile, in the same division, plucky Woolston Rovers were edged out 22-20 at second-placed Leigh Miners Rangers.

They twice fought back to level matters at 10-10 and 16-16, then went ahead for the first time on 68-minutes when a weaving run from stand-off Ryan Brown paved the way for full-back James Tarpey to send substitute Craig Woolvine over wide out on the right.

Nine minutes from time Miners edged back in front and despite Rovers asking questions in the final few minutes the Miners defence held firm.

Woolston’s other try scorers were Kieran Moore (15mins), Craig Lawton (25mins), Adam Files (46mins), with Lawton converting twice.

Best for Rovers were prop forward Harry Files, loose-forward Lawton and prop Jackson Phillips.

Rovers NCL head coach Liam Lawton said: “We were gutted to have fallen just short but I cannot fault any of the lads.

“The effort they put in for the full 80 minutes was superb and they didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.

“We had five changes from last week’s side but the lads that came in never let us down.

“We have shown over the past month or so that we are more than capable of competing with every team in this division and we will take a lot of confidence into our next game (at home to Dewsbury Moor Maroons) in a fortnight.”

Rovers: James Tarpey; Tom Hailey, Kieran Moore, Ben Dixon, Tom Fagan; Ryan Brown, Sean Kelly; Harry Files, Adam Files, Jackson Phillips, Callum Harnett-Smy, Dan Fearnley, Craig Lawton. Subs: Lloyd Feather, Craig Woolvine, Andy Addison, Lewis Dawson.

This Saturday Rovers’ North West Men’s League side return to action with an Entry Division game at Leyland Warriors, kick off 2.30pm.