After a difficult start to the season, things are looking up.

This was the third win in a row for the Seconds and was all the more satisfying for coming against a side which had vociferously celebrated defeating us at their place and was achieved despite going down to 14 men on two occasions in the second period.

The Seconds may not be out of the woods yet but this victory gives them a decent fighting chance of avoiding a relegation which looked almost a certainty just a few months ago.

Once again this was an impressive all round team effort - with one well-coordinated, steamroller of a maul by the forwards in the final minutes doing as much as anything to help secure victory.

There were also two individual performances of note. Eighteen-year-old number eight Luke Fisher once again took the fight to the opposition and ended with a well-earned brace of tries. And nine points from the boot of fly half Matt Cox - not to mention some booming clearance kicks and one crucial covering tackle - ultimately proved to be the decisive factor.

In fact the game began with Cox repeatedly pegging the visitors back into their own half. A line out close to Birstall's line was skillfully claimed by flanker Josh Codd. With the maul advancing at speed, it was a relatively easy task for Fisher to barge his way over from a few yards out.

He doubled his tally shortly afterwards following a Birstall 22 drop out. Matt Christian claimed the re-start and typically charged into the heart of the Birstall forwards. Newark recycled well and eventually Cox popped a pass to Fisher on the charge from the 22. He easily went through two tackles for a try which Cox converted from a tricky angle in less than ideal conditions.

Birstall came back after pouncing on a loose ball and racing in from 40 metres when a Newark attack broke down. In fact the visitors showed a willingness to run from almost anywhere on the pitch and their handling at pace was crisp and almost faultless. They worked overlaps on several occasions but Newark's scrambling defence largely stood up to the task.

As the first half drew to a close there were two moments that demonstrated a growing sense of self belief and determination that the Seconds are now showing. After stealing the ball from a Newark scrum, Birstall quickly broke left and one of their players seemed certain to score as he broke free and raced for the line. In fact their bench was actually cheering for a try which never came because Cox had tracked back and made the vital tackle just a few metres from the line.

Moments later the visitors were awarded a penalty on the 5m metre but a strong tackle dislodged the ball and won a turnover.

The second half began well for Newark. Although Birstall secured possession and threatened to find a gap, they then tried a sort of kick pass to their right winger. Instead , Codd was on the spot to pluck it out of the air. He gained ground before winger Scott Edmed - making a welcome return - took an inside pass to race under the posts from around half way.

Newark then went down to 14 men after Ben Lovelace was yellow carded for a trip. Newark's woes were increased when hooker Tommo Tomlinson was forced to leave the pitch with a leg injury.

For a while the pendulum swung the visitors' way when a series of drives ended in their second try. Then the influential Cox was yellow carded after his frustration with repeated off-the-ball incidents boiled over.

A Birstall kick to the corner caused chaos in the Newark defence and a subsequent scrum on our 5m line led to their third try - making the score 21-15. But for some inexplicable reason they chose to take a drop kick conversion in muddy conditions which never looked as if it was going to get the extra two points which would then have left them needing just one more unconverted try for victory.

But the pendulum swung back in Newark's favour when that outstanding rolling maul from the forwards (who had also held up well in the scrum) gained around 30 metres. A returning Cox then had the satisfaction of nailing a last minute penalty to make the victory safe.

Birstall deserve credit for the way in which they ran the ball at every opportunity but Newark were committed in defence and showed real grit in victory.

The Great Escape is (still) on.