After battling hard in difficult conditions to establish a 15-14 lead going into added time, the Maroons were hard done to when controversial referee Kevin Warwick saw fit to award Birkenhead a penalty in kicking range and winger Dave Hall sent the ball sailing between the posts to break Morley hearts.

Although they won two tries to one it was the penalties which ultimately undid Peter Seabourne's men and they could also feel aggrieved at some strange timekeeping from the referee which proved costly.

He only added four minutes in the second half after a succession of stoppages, thereby giving the Maroons no time to hit back after the late penalty, yet in the first half he played more than seven minutes of overtime and from the last play of the half the visitors scored their only try through Nick Tchakoute, with home players claiming it was a double movement.

All Park's other points came from the boot of Hall while Morley led in each half after tries by Craig Field and Koby Gyast with Simon Bradshaw adding a conversion and a penalty.

For more on the match and pictures plus the reaction to the first defeat, see Wednesday's edition of the Morley Observer & Advertiser.