Fragile Oldham fall apart again

Photo: Dave Murgatroyd

OVER TO YOU . . . Oldham forward Jack Spencer looks for support

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SO, lightning does strike twice.

At last year's Summer Bash, Oldham were cruising to victory against Swinton Lions.

Twenty points to nil up at the break, the Roughyeds somehow contrived to lose 25-24.

Fast forward 12 months, Scott Naylor's side went into half-time holding a healthy 26-12 advantage.

Opponents Rochdale, without a win in their previous 10 league and cup games, were seemingly there for the taking.

What could go wrong for Oldham?

Surely they must have learned their lesson of the Lions collapse, or more recent-in-the-memory Batley of the previous Sunday, when a 22-10 lead turned into a 48-28 battering by the Bulldogs? Roughyeds fans in the Armfield South Stand must have thought so.

Two points in the bag then, celebrate by popping down to the Blackpool sea front for a quick game of bingo and a go on the two-penny slots. A happy away-day for all. No.

Unfortunately, it appears as though Oldham don't like to be beside the seaside. Forget 'The Big One' situated in the Pleasure Beach, Roughyeds have their very own rollercoaster ride, which the leaves those fans dressed in red and white sick to the pit of their stomachs.

After a four-try first half, two from Richard Lepori, in which Oldham were dominant, followed a second 40 minutes littered with mistakes, uncertainty and ill-discipline.

Hornets gained momentum with a Rob Massam try eight minutes after the restart, and from that point Alan Kilshaw's men did not let up.

Further touch downs from Ben Moores, Jordan Case - it was a great one-handed take from a Lewis Palfrey pass - and Lewis Galbraith in a 15-minute spell turned the derby duel on its head.

All Oldham were able to muster in the second half was a Scott Leatherbarrow penalty two minutes in.

Apart from when Sam Gee was held up with three minutes to go, they did not threaten the Hornets line.

Six days after starting against Batley, Danny Grimshaw and Tuoyo Egodo were left out of the Oldham squad altogether, while prop Nathan Mason, on dual-registration from Huddersfield Giants, went straight into the starting XIII along with new boy Luke Adamson, who signed a contract until the end of the season on Thursday.

It all started so well for Oldham at Bloomfield Road.

Leatherbarrow's grubber kick was perfectly weighted for Scott Turner to score, with the orchestrator confidently adding the extras.

Perhaps Adam Clay's fumble from the restart kick was the shape of things to come.

Danny Yates, Hornets' Oldham-born scrum-half, slipped as he ran into a wide open space, but the ball ended up in the right corner where Miles Greenwood crashed over.

WOEFULLY WIDE

Yates' kick went woefully wide, likewise his other two attempts before the break.

Lepori and Jovilisi Taira each spent 10 minutes cooling off after an altercation for which saw Leatherbarrow stroke home a penalty.

Again Hornets found a way through on the right, with this time Palfrey releasing Jake Eccleston.

The same combination would add to Hornets' tally before half-time, but not before Oldham had run-in three quick-fire tries of their own.

The first, admittedly, was a messy affair as Danny Langtree's kick through wasn't dealt by Hornets and Tyson got some pressure on the ball.

Oldham's third was a cracker. Jack Spencer punched a hole in the Hornets line, but not having the pace to go for the line himself with pursuers chasing hard, he was glad to see Lepori on his shoulder to finish off the move.

Swap Spencer and Langtree for Oldham's fourth try as the second row picked out the full-back after bursting through the centre.

Hornets again profited on the right-hand side for their third try.

SQUIRM

At the other end, Tyson was unable to squirm over the line after claiming Leatherbarrow's high ball into the corner.

As for the second half, it was nearly all Hornets as Oldham inexplicably fell apart.

The scores were level when Hornets were handed an 'eight-point' try, with the officials deeming that Galbraith had received a knee in the back in the process of scoring a try. Yates, after kicking the conversion, then slotted over a penalty three paces to his right. The decision only compounded Naylor's anger.

And if things couldn't get any worse for Oldham, they did as Sam Gee was sent off for fighting in the last minute.