Ian Rigg reports from Park Lane

Rochdale Hornets 34 Swinton Lions 38 Ian Rigg reports from Spotland A try by Andy Saywell in the final minute gained the Lions their first Northern Rail win in a thrilling game.

Hornets took the lead in the sixth minute when Alex Brown went over on the right following pressure on the line following a Lions knock-on from a high ball. Chris Forster failed the conversion.

The home-side went even further ahead five minutes later when Forster went over again in the corner from a scrum for another unconverted try.

Saywell and Dave Best were sent to the sin-bin in the seventeenth minute for fighting and the Lions were awarded the penalty. From the resulting pressure Marlon Billy went over at the corner but Richie Hawkyard could not add the goal points from the touchline.

Hornets bombed two chances to score when both Brown and Chris Spurr lost balls with the try line open but Martin Ainscough stretched the lead on twenty-six minutes when he made the most of a huge overlap on the left to go over for the try but again Forster could not add the extras.

Eric Andrews had another chance to put Hornets further ahead eight minutes from the break when he chased a kick down the left wing but hacked it into touch and the chance went.

The Lions hit back four minutes from the break when Darren Gibson crashed over to the right of the posts after a short pass from Martin Moana but somehow Hawkyard missed the conversion from short range.

From the re-start Swinton lost the ball and Hornets went over again when Svabic fed Forster who raced in under the posts. Simon Svabic converted to give the home side a ten point lead at the break.

The Lions made a dream start to the second half when Moana went over by the posts after two penalties had put the visitors in a good position and Hawkyard added his first goal of the afternoon.

Four minutes later they were in. Andrew Marsh had been penalised for not playing the ball properly again and following intense pressure Gibson added his second going in on the right. Hawkyard added the goal points to put Swinton in the lead for the first time.

Rochdale had another chance in the fifty-first minute when Best made a break up the middle and with players in support held on just too long and a super tackle by Wayne English managed to make him lose his grip on the ball.

Swinton went further ahead on fifty-six minutes when Rob Line sent out a great short pass just near the line for Moana to go over for his second with Hawkyard adding the goal points.

The Lions were now constantly camped on the Hornets line and the home side defence had no answer to what was hitting them and Liam McGovern made it worse for them on the hour when he sold a huge dummy to go over by the posts and Hawkyard goaled again.

Hornets started a fightback and five minutes later Forster completed his hat-trick when he went over after the home side got into a good position on the back of three penalties and Svabic added the conversion.

Former Lion Dave Newton was next to go over for Hornets when he dived on a loose ball over the tryline to score and Svabic added the simple goal to bring them back to within two points.

With just five minutes left they regained the lead when Brown made a fifty metre break down the right wing to score in the corner but Svabic could not this time add the goal points.

In the dying second Hawkyard launched a bomb towards the Hornets line and it bounced off a Hornets players arms for Saywell to gather and race in for his fiftieth Swinton try to win the match. Hawkyard slotted the simple conversion as the final hooter sounded.