Leeds Carnegie 12 Bristol 11: Cool Ford on hand to kick-start campaign for Leeds

Joe Ford’s 40-metre drop goal four minutes from time settled a tight contest between two former Premiership sides that have fallen on hard times.

No longer the plum clash of old – despite Bristol’s purple jerseys – both sides still managed to produce some decent passages of play even though the match was played through stop-start heavy autumnal showers.

For Ford, who supplied all of Leeds’ points in a 100 per cent kicking display, it was the perfect way to bounce back from an indifferent start to the season.

“It’s taken me a couple of games to get into it, but hopefully I am into my stride now and we can build on this and go down to Cornish Pirates next week and try get a win there,” he said.

“London Scottish ran them close so there’s no reason why we can’t. We will go down there with a lot of confidence now.”

Bristol arrived at Headingley as the Championship’s early pace-setters, with two wins from two putting them at the opposite end of the table to their hosts. But it was Leeds who struck the first blow, Ford confidently slotting over a 45-metre penalty in the second minute after the West Country outfit were found guilty of not rolling away at the tackle.

Ford’s three-pointer provided Leeds with the lead for the first time in any game this season, poor starts hindering their chances against London Welsh and Rotherham. However, the advantage was short-lived, opposite number Tristan Roberts responding with a penalty of his own 60 seconds later.

Worse was to follow. Bristol declined a kick at goal and were rewarded with a catch-and-drive try from hooker Ross Johnston, which Roberts failed to convert from the left touchline.

Leeds were unable to show the same measure of control when attempting a similar move of their own inside the Bristol 22, and flanker Josh Ovens somehow managed to strip the ball from the maul and storm towards halfway on a rampaging run. But the attack broke down after ex-Leeds man, Jon Goodridge, lost control of possession going into contact.

A deft chip ahead by full-back Stevie McColl, gathered in by Ryan Burrows, provided Leeds with their brightest attacking moment at the start of the second quarter. Burrows offloaded to Michael Stephenson – making his first start of the season – but the right winger’s pass inside was knocked back into the in-goal area by an opposition hand and safely touched down by Bristol’s livewire scrum-half Tom Slater.

Another dangerous attacking position went to waste not long after when Leeds were made to pay for their decision to opt for a 5-metre scrum from a penalty rather than kick to touch or go for goal. Bristol’s experienced pack wheeled the initial scrum and won a penalty at the re-set.

A further penalty against Leeds’s creaking scrum resulted in the only other points in the half when Roberts put Bristol 11-3 up on 35 minutes.

Leeds started the second half with real intent, scrum-half Craig Hampson’s darting run leading to a sustained period of pressure in the opposition 22. Bristol were fortunate not to lose a man to the sin-bin after a series of line-out offences, and a further Ford penalty was all Carnegie had to show for their efforts.

But Leeds were now in the ascendency and the increased intensity in attack was matched in defence on the rare occasions that Bristol did threaten, Stephenson’s well-timed hit on Williams standing out among the many tackles that the home side put in.

Ford cut the deficit to just two points after Bristol were found to be guilty of going in off their feet at the breakdown.

Not even a torrential downpour could rain on Leeds’s parade at the end, however, as Ford slotted over what turned out to the match-winning drop goal.

The result could have been different had Bristol wing George Watkins not elected to take a quick throw-in close to the Leeds line, which came to nothing, and allowed Roberts a shot at goal instead.

Defeat would have been cruel on Leeds, though, and Ford was able to celebrate a one-point win and a first win of the season, as his brother George – watching in the stands – had done for Leicester at Newcastle the day before.

“I am really, really proud of the effort put in by the players, they thoroughly deserved that,” said Leeds head coach Diccon Edwards.

Leeds Carnegie: Stevie McColl (Richards, 60); Michael Stephenson, Iain Thornley, Joe Barker, Curtis Wilson; Joe Ford, Craig Hampson (Shaw, 53); Gareth Denman, Andy Titterrall (Nilsen, 66)), Phil Swainston (Young, 77), Tom Denton (Hemingway, 60), Jon Pendlebury, Dominic Barrow, Jacob Rowan (Walker, 71), Ryan Burrows. Replacement not used: Scott Barrow

Bristol: Jon Goodridge; George Watkins, Jack Tovey, Junior Fatialofa, Matt Williams; Tristan Roberts, Tom Slater (Silver, 67), Darren Crompton (Irish, 53), Ross Johnston (Lawrence, 71), Jason Hobson (Thompson, 53), Mariano Sambucetti (Barry, 60), Roy Winters, Josh Ovens (Mama, 60), James Merriman, Iain Grieve. Replacement not used: Mark Davies.

Referee: S Davey