Telford Tigers coach Tom Watkins delighted with bounce back win

Having lost on their last visit to Leeds and going into the clash after a disappointing loss to bottom club Bees, Tigers made the worst possible start when they conceded after just 28 seconds.

Man-of-the-match Vladimir Luka fired them level before Bayley Harewood struck three minutes later to give them the lead.

From that moment Telford made their dominance count with two swift goals to take control of the game.

Austin Mitchell-King fired home before Luka added his second of the game.

Leeds called a time out to recover their poise and then found a goal of their own, meaning Tigers ended the period 4-2 up.

Midway through the second period Luka completed his hat-trick before Leeds hit back again.

The hosts pushed for another in an effort to get back into the game but Telford stood firm to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Watkins said: “It was a very important bounce back game for us tonight on the road and in a tough building. We got everything right and I thought we executed everything well and to a high standard.

“We moved the lines around in the week which makes us better defensively and gives us more balance in all situations.

“I think tonight was our best third period this season. Overall we played solid for three periods led by our captain, Jason Silverthorn, who was outstanding.”