But two men down and facing a staggering penalty count is tantamount to disaster.
And that is exactly what Halifax endured in a torrid first 25 minutes against unbeaten Otley which effectively cost them any chance of upsetting the National Two form book at Cross Green.
First of all Craig Aikman saw yellow – a decision that baffled, annoyed and amused in equal measure depending on whose colours you sported - for apparently laying on the ball.
If that was harsh the referee then decided to reach for his pocket again sixty seconds later, brandishing it in front of on loan prop George Jenkins for use of the arm.
Cue for uproar on the Halifax bench? No such histrionics; instead a collection of dumbstruck faces that finally dissolved into expressions of resignation knowing that this was not going to be their day.
To be honest Otley always had the upper hand. Their wily and vastly experienced coach Peter Clegg - a one time Halifax target – always prepares his teams well and with a little better execution they could have rattled up an even wider winning margin.
However, Halifax dug deep and grafted like Trojans, but inevitably came up with the kind of errors that teams suffer when they are trying so hard to claw their way back into a game.
The scene was set early on with Otley establishing the kind of attacking platform that Halifax would love to have secured.
The fact that it took the visitors almost 20 minutes to even enter enemy territory told its own story as Otley looked to get their renowned pack, including former Halifax prop Kris Fullman, into the game as often as possible.
But they met their match, particularly as the game wore on, with new man Jenkins providing a strong, forceful and knowledgeable presence on the right hand side of Halifax's front row.
Otley were not to be out-muscled for long and posted their first points after seven minutes when Halifax were found guilty of not releasing the ball and stand off Adam Greendale, a highly-rated youngster on loan from Premiership side Leeds Carnegie, slotted a confident penalty.
He repeated the act five minutes later as Halifax were punished yet again and then missed a shot at goal when the referee penalised the visitors for the umpteenth time, this time for not releasing the ball.
Otley needed no further invitation to run at a Halifax defence left wondering where the next blast of the whistle would come from and when winger Kyle Dench kicked through it was Matt Stockdale who reacted quickest to score, Greendale failing to add the conversion.
The game then took a severe turn for the worse as far as Halifax were concerned with the double carding and Greendale made the best use of Jenkins's offence to boot another penalty for a 14-0 lead.
Otley were in no mood to show sympathy and after Stockdale's pass had eluded Danny Smith with the way to the line open, a trademark Otley drive from a lineout saw flanker Xavier Andre bullied over, Greendale adding the conversion.
Halifax were still contributing, Will Greenwood embarking on a good run that needed stopping illegally while the hard-working Dave Hall produced a clearing kick of such magnitude it even had the sporting Otley faithful purring.
But it was only when Halifax were restored to a full complement that their endeavours found a reward and that was through Joe Knowles's penalty – his accuracy and confidence a real plus point this season.
As mountains go, the second half must have looked like K2 at least as far as Halifax were concerned.
And they had to show some serious defensive intent as Otley looked to hammer home their advantage early, twice being held up as they homed in for the kill.
But Halifax weathered the storm and went on to pose a few questions of their own, a period of pressure on the Otley line seeing the visitors held up.
The ball was recycled and centre Oli Marns attempted to go route one through the heart of the home defence only to lose the ball in the tackle.
That put Otley on the front foot again and it wasn't long before they capitalised with full back Ian Shuttleworth slipping the ball to Andre who burst through for Otley's third try, Greendale again converting.
Halifax rang the changes in an effort to bring new blood and purpose to the proceedings, but they were undone by the best move of the game that saw swift passing between skipper Shuttleworth and Dench sending Greendale scampering around the outside of Will Greenwood to touch down. He converted himself to open up a 35-3 lead.
Halifax have never been known to give up a lost cause and with Knowles's kicking and skipper Danny McGee's promptings from stand off, they were always looking to produce something.
Unfortunately it was a lack of penetration when they were on the front foot, and also the failure to build phases that kept them on the fringes of the game.
That was the case even when Otley suffered a yellow card to replacement Nathan Bland – a decision that saw real anger among the Otley coaching staff, thrown water bottles and all.
But for all their hard work Halifax were feeding off scraps and it was a fine sight when Marns seized on a loose ball and ran unhindered to the line, Knowles converting, after Otley had been sluggish and unimaginative in attempting to build on their winning position.
It was just a shame that Halifax had to concede again, particularly after another promising attacking move. The ball fell loose in midfield and it was quickly gathered and moved wide where Dench hot-footed it to the line from his own half, beating the far from pedestrian Dan Solomi to score in the corner.
Greendale had already left the fray to a well-deserved ovation and his replacement kicker Robin Kitching failed to build on his predecessors good work with the conversion attempt angling away off the outside of the upright.

Star Player
IT is difficult enough to come into a team cold, but it is even harder to come into a team cold and with just one training session with your new mates under your belt.
Kiwi prop George Jenkins arrived on loan from Rotherham at the back end of last week but quickly established himself in the Halifax front row on Saturday.
He may not be on first name terms with all of his colleagues yet, but it is obvious that he has a fine rugby brain and that transcends everything else. He was strong, powerful, direct and worked extremely hard. Not only is he out to impress his colleagues at Halifax but aims to give a strong nudge to his employers at Rotherham. His yellow card on Saturday was harsh – perhaps his enthusiasm was to blame rather than any malicious intent. But he stood up well against a strong pack and once he beds himself in properly, Jenkins could well be a key component.
Joe Knowles is a real character, a joker who would bring a spark to any squad. He isn't a bad player either. The full back possesses mental strength as well as a physical presence and his kicking, whether it be for field position or points, continues to impress. Nothing phases him and his confidence is bound to rub off on the other players in the squad.
Any team needing a leader could do worse than employ Danny McGee. Playing in the unfamiliar position of No 10 in place of the unavailable Tom Eaton, McGee worked tirelessly to provide an axis while also continually cajoling and encouraging his troops in the face of defeat. His spirit is what Halifax is all about and another 14 Danny McGee's on the pitch would make one heck of a difference.


Match Facts
Otley: Shuttleworth, Dench, Buchanan, Whatmuff, Smith, Greendale, Easterby, Trethewey, Nilsen, Fullman, Snowball, Williams, Stockdale, Andre, Hyde. Replacements: Turner (Trethewey 51), Sayers Nilsen 66), Bland (Andre 53), Kitching(Greendale 66)
Tries: Stockdale, Andre (2), Greendale, Dench
Con: Greendale (3)
Pens: Greendale (3)
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: Bland (technical offence 60)
Red Cards: None
Halifax: Knowles, Hall, Marns, Endersby, Greenwood, McGee, Aikman, Blades, Kay, Jenkins, White, Harrison, Skillen, Lewis,Brown . Replacements: Solomi (Hall 51), Townsend (Kay 51), Moon, (Brown 51) Richardson (Blades 67)
Tries: Marns
Cons: Knowles
Pens: Knowles
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: (Aikman technical offence 20, Jenkins foul play 21)
Red Cards: None

Referee: Chris Sharp (RFU)

Player Points
WORKOUT WAREHOUSE PLAYER OF THE SEASON: 6 Craig Aikman, Joe Knowles; 3 Dave Hall, Gareth Lewis, George Jenkins, Danny McGee; 2 Richard White, Matt Harrison; 1 Richard Brown, Tom Eaton.