Fury at video decision

NOT THIS TIME: Oldham chief executive Chris Hamilton consoles captain Rob Roberts.

Hamilton hits out at ‘joke’ call

ROUGHYEDS chief executive Chris Hamilton lambasted the decision from video referee Phil Bentham to allow Luke Gale’s try to stand in yesterday’s National League Two play-off final defeat.

Ten minutes after the break in a close encounter at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, the Doncaster scrum-half wrestled with Oldham full-back Paul O’Connor as he attempted to ground the ball over the line.

The evidence was far from clear cut, but the score — which helped put Ellery Hanley’s side 14-6 up — was allowed to stand, a crucial blow in a low-scoring clash.

“It’s a joke and Phil Bentham is the only person in the ground that thought it was a try,” said a furious Mr Hamilton, following the 18-10 reverse, a second successive finals-day loss which keeps the Roughyeds in National League Two next year.

“The pendulum really swung there.”

While Dons coach Ellery Hanley proffered his resignation after the game, citing the fact that the club can no longer afford his salary, the future of Oldham coach Steve Deakin is as-yet unclear.

Promotion was the number one priority for everyone at the club and with a whole host of current players’ contracts dependent on it, a massive period of decision making and rebuilding will now be undertaken by Mr Hamilton and chairman Bill Quinn.

“It puts us right back to square one, only having a couple signed on for next year compared to around 15 we would have had if we had won,” added Mr Hamilton.

“It means a whole lot more work goes in to signing players, thinking about budgets and everything else that comes along with it.

“We have been here before. But there was no lack of fighting spirit out there and I can only apologise to the fans that we have ended up being the bridesmaids again.

“For most clubs, being the last side outside of Super League left in the Challenge Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of the Northern Rail Cup and getting to the Grand Final would be considered a successful season.

“But for us, it is one short. We made it clear at the start of the season that we wanted promotion and we assembled a squad that we believed could deliver that.

“It hasn’t happened and now we go away, think about things and do some soul searching to hopefully come back stronger.”