ON THE MARK: Said Tamghart (right) scored a try in the last meeting between Oldham Roughyeds and Dewsbury Rams.

by MATTHEW CHAMBERS

A ROUGHYEDS win this weekend will send the team into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup for the first time in the new club’s history.

Only National League One outfit Dewsbury, without a win in their division this season, stand between Steve Deakin’s side and a place in the last eight.

The clash at the Tetley’s Stadium on Sunday will in all likelihood provide the next round with its only non Super League representative, notwithstanding Whitehaven, Barrow or Widnes pulling off a major shock.

Whether it be the Rams or the Roughyeds who go through, the winner is guaranteed plenty of media exposure and should land a moneymaking tie.

And despite Oldham’s wobbles in recent weeks, culminating in Monday’s 38-26 win over Blackpool in which the Roughyeds were outscored in the second half, Deakin believes that his side are capable of becoming the first Oldham RL side to make it to the sixth round in 11 years.

“We have played 15 competitive games,” said the Oldham coach. “We have won 12 of those, we are in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup and the last eight of the Northern Rail Cup, and six games into the league campaign we have only lost once.

“We are not in a position of weakness. What we are in is a position where we want to move forward and the best way to do that is not result-oriented — all we are trying to do in every game is improve our performance.

“If we can do that this week it will put us in the national spotlight and the possible result at the end of it would give the club’s profile a massive boost.

“As a coach I want to win every single game, as do the players.

“We will be prepared to win, not only for personal pride, but to gain a place in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup — because opportunities like that don’t come along very often.”

The two teams met twice last year in the group stage of the Northern Rail Cup, after swapping divisions in the winter.

While winning the return meeting at Boundary Park 32-8, Dewsbury didn’t have things all their own way in the initial game between the sides on home turf.

In a physical, muddy and exciting battle, relegated Oldham — then looking to secure a first win in 11 months — gave every bit as good as they got against higher-level opposition.

Said Tamghart’s burst across the line four minutes from time reduced the Roughyeds’ deficit to just four points, prior to Luke Haigh’s last-minute try, converted by Dean Lawford, which gave the Rams a 32-22 victory.


     

SIZE COUNTS IN RAMS’ PACK

FRANCIS Maloney, who kicked three goals for Dewsbury in that 32-22 win, was a member of the last Oldham side to reach the quarter-finals in 1997, before losing 38-12 at home to Bradford.

The veteran Maloney (34) is now with Batley. But his 21-year-old nephew Dominic is still impressing many with his strong performances in the front row for Dewsbury, so much so that Hull FC have this week snapped him up on a 12-month contract as of next season.

There is plenty of size elsewhere in the Rams pack, which also comprises ex-Halifax impact player Aaron Trinder and former Roughyeds man Terre Glassie.

Since narrowly overcoming Hunslet Hawks 18-16 at home in the final group game of the Northern Rail Cup, Dewsbury have won only one out of eight matches played — the Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round tie against Heavy Woollen rivals Batley, 26-12 away from home.

But within that run, the Rams have been agonisingly pipped at the post on a number of occasions, not least on Tuesday when Widnes prevailed 29-22 after a tough test at the Tetley’s Stadium.      

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