Roughyeds set up final fling

JAMES COYLE goes over under the posts for Oldham.

Oldham 38, Rochdale 14

IF a defence lawyer ever needs a piece of evidence to back up the assertion that rugby league is, as is often said, ‘the greatest game’, he’ll be requesting a copy of the match DVD from this one.

It had everything, then a bit more on top: superb tries, moments of high controversy and two pumped up local rivals going absolutely hammer and tong at each other for 80 minutes. There was even a healthy dose of early-game fisticuffs to get the blood flowing.

Nothing was left out on the pitch by the time the final hooter sounded. Up in the stands, nobody left feeling short-changed.

While the entertainment levels were off the scale, the most important fact for the majority of the 1,355 fans at Boundary Park is the relevance of the final result.

Thanks chiefly to a second half performance which was close to flawless, the Roughyeds are now only one win away from promotion to National League One.

Doncaster, conquerors of Steve Deakin’s side last week, provide the opposition at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington this coming Sunday for a mouth-watering grand final.

The South Yorkshire outfit were highly impressive in ending Oldham’s proud unbeaten home record last week and will fancy their chances of a repeat show.

Still, it is difficult to see how even a side coached by the legendary Ellery Hanley would cope with a Roughyeds outfit really on their mettle - as was the case here.

Despite ultimately running in a total of seven tries, it wasn’t an easy ride for the home team.

Confident Hornets, arriving on the back of a red-hot run which has seen them acquire seven wins from their last eight games, led 14-12 at the break after an evenly contested opening 40 minutes.

The Roughyeds had gone in front by virtue of tries from Richard Mervill and, quite superbly, Gareth Langley.

But concentration levels dipped in the minutes before half-time and Rochdale, guided round the pitch to great effect by Janan Billings, cashed in to score a quickfire pair of tries which edged Darren Shaw’s men in front.

Last week, a slow start to the second half proved to be Oldham’s undoing. That lesson seems to have been learnt and teacher Deakin cut a happy figure at full-time.

Three tries before the hour mark came about as a result of intense pressure at the right end of the field.

First, James Coyle launched a high kick to the corner which was claimed by the rejuvenated Langley, before Tommy Goulden battled his way over on the left.

The truly inspirational Matty Brooks – who played out close to the full 80 minutes – then set up the position from which Coyle could dance his way over between the posts. Two more Mick Nanyn goals and it was game, set and match.

Still Oldham pressed, continuing to benefit from exemplary discipline and ball control. Further rewards arrived for Daryl Cardiss, off a slick Nanyn pass, and Goulden’s second as the ball was kept alive by a side flying high on confidence.

Deakin made alterations to the starting line-up and they worked a treat.

Adam Robinson was brought in at the expense of Jason Boults and had a barnstorming opening to the game, up against no less than his own brother Craig in the Hornets front row.

Nanyn made his expected return to the centres, Danny Halliwell switching to the second row, and Brooks took the number nine shirt away from Simeon Hoyle.

A high shot on Robinson and the flare-up that followed saw Hornets hooker Andy Wallace sent to the sin bin after just five minutes and the home side took advantage of the disparity in numbers through a long-range Nanyn penalty goal and a try from Richard Mervill. It had a strong whiff of forward pass to it, as Coyle whipped to ball out wide to take advantage of an overlap on the right.

Hornets could already have been ahead by that stage, Eric Andrews hauled back from his fourth-minute sprint along the touchline after he was deemed to have stepped on the whitewash.

While fortune favoured Oldham at that stage, Brooks fumbled a pass which would have taken him to the line to increase his team’s 8-0 lead.

Neil Roden hobbled off the pitch before Langley sprinted towards Coyle’s high bomb and leapt majestically to pick it out of the air to score.

That followed a Carl Sneyd penalty for Rochdale, who came back strongly with tries from Paul Alcock and Billings putting them in front.

Though the visitors failed to stem the tide after the break, they can be proud of their efforts not only getting to this stage via two away victories in the play-offs, but also in helping to put on a real show at Boundary Park.