COLCHESTER GLADIATORS 17

LONDON HORNETS 6

Southern Football Conference One East

COLCHESTER Gladiators' season will go down to the wire after they beat London Hornets to keep their survival hopes alive.

In a tough, defensive encounter, the Gladiators adapted to the conditions better, at the Garrison.

They edged the visitors thanks to a defensive score, another touchdown from the Wickham brothers and Nathan Brown's field goal.

The Gladiators will now travel to play the same North London-based opponents on Sunday in the second of two straight encounters, to see who finishes bottom of the table and faces possible relegation to division two.

Gladiators head coach Luke Box said: “It really feel like the hard work is starting to pay off.

"We have won three of our last four games and still haven't reached our full potential.

"We need to continue to recover and prepare for our final game of the season this Sunday.”

The Gladiators defence played an outstanding game from the start, forcing numerous three and outs.

They included the Hornets' first two possessions but the offence struggled at times, against the division's tightest defence.

It was the Gladiators' defence that opened the scoring near the end of the first half.

After pinning the Hornets close to their own line, Dan Jones sacked the London QB, forcing the ball loose.

Curtis Bourke, playing defensive end rather than his customary QB position, picked up the bouncing ball, and returned it to the endzone for a touchdown.

Brown's PAT extended the lead to 7-0, which the Gladiators took into half-time.

The third quarter was mainly a stalemate and a battle of field position as the wet conditions hampered both teams' efforts, with Josh Mews picking off a Hornet pass to thwart one drive before five consecutive possessions consisting of three plays and a punt.

A good punt return by the Hornets advanced the ball to the home 36 where they took full and immediate advantage, connecting for a 36-yard TD.

The extra point was blocked to leave the Gladiators with a precarious 7-6 lead, going in to the final period.

The fourth quarter began with Jake Wickham returning a Hornet punt to the London 38 and it was the Gladiators' turn to take advantage of the short field to extend their lead.

Collision bulled his way through the heart of the London defence for 15 yards before the Wickham brothers finished off the final 23, for six points.

Brown kicked the PAT, to make the score 14-6.

The Gladiators' running game then sparked into life with Collison ripping off ten and eight yard gains and Rob Wickham finding Sam Gennings for 15 yards on fourth down.

The drive stalled but Brown calmly slotted a 25-yard field goal to give his team crucially, a two-score lead at 17-6.

With time running out, the Gladiators' defence stepped up and showed no mercy as the hosts took the remaining time off the clock to claim the hard-fought win and keep their survival hopes alive.