YORK ACORN were left feeling they had let another game slip away as they lost 28-18 at Elland in National Conference League division one.

It was the Blue and Gold's second defeat in a row and came after a good start which saw them go in front on six minutes.

Experienced playmaker, and acting-half, Andy Gargan finished off some excellent approach play when dummying his way over for a try. Anthony Chilton added the extras with an excellent touchline conversion.

But Elland gradually got a grip on proceedings and drew level on 22 minutes when their centre took advantage of weak tackling to cross.

Within minutes, Acorn were punished for more inept defending as Elland crashed over - the unconverted try giving them a 10-6 lead. Starved of possession and feeding off scraps, York had to rely on resolute defending to keep the score tight for the rest of the half.

Any hopes they had of a second half recovery were left in tatters with a quick-fire double by Elland early on. Their scrum half and loose forward both crossed and Acorn trailed 22-6.

Only then did they finally begin to play.

Led by the strong running of prop forwards Adam Endersby and Tim Stubbs, allied to the industry of Tom Hill in the centres, the game became more of a contest. Captain Hill reduced the deficit on 65 minutes and Chilton's extras made it 22-12.

They pushed for another score but were thwarted by lack of cohesion and they were punished at the other end as Elland made it 28-12.

A late consolation try, scored when loose forward Harry Bromwich produced a quality moment to put centre Ryan Gallagher over for a Chilton converted score, only left Acorn once again to rue a performance that was not good enough.