Benson seeking mental strength

TONY BENSON: Hopeful his side will improve following the 34-22 home defeat to Sheffield Eagles.

IF YOU can keep your head while all around are losing theirs, you’ll be a man my son.

Give or take a few lines, the Kipling poem ‘If’ seems suitable to illustrate Oldham’s difficulties in their Northern Rail Cup pool one game against Sheffield, as described by coach Tony Benson.

Oldham gave the Co-operative Championship side a major fright in the second half at Boundary Park.

A whirlwind period featuring tries from Paul O’Connor, Jamie I’Anson and Andy Ballard within the space of six minutes — it would have been even better for Oldham had Wayne Kerr’s effort under the posts 11 minutes from time not been ruled out for a Phil Joseph forward pass — brought the score back to 20-16 in arrears , just when the game had seemed to be slipping away.

The Eagles were firmly on the ropes. Then, almost as quickly as the chance to take three points had appeared, it vanished once again.

A penalty from the ever-impressive Jonny Woodcock moved the Eagles advantage to six points, hooker Grant Edwards went over for a soft score from close range five minutes from time and former Roughyeds man Matty Brooks, operating at scrum-half, rubbed salt into the wound by capping an excellent individual effort with a try of his own.

Whether it was as a result of the disappointment of seeing Kerr’s effort scratched out or not, the wind was taken out of Oldham’s sails.

High impact prop Jamie I’Anson at least gave Oldham a bonus point with a try at the death, but for Benson the game was there to be won.

The Kiwi now believes it is up to him to take Kipling’s words and turn them into action within his squad.

“Looking back, if we had stuck to the game plan we had put in place we would have won, but instead we went off it a bit.

“It is a shame, but that’s how it goes. I have spoken before about rugby league being so much about mentality and the importance of sticking to what you are doing under pressure.

“We will keep on working at it. There are clear areas to work on and we will come back better.

“At the same time, it was clear that Sheffield are a very good side who I expect will be challenging the top half of the Championship.”

After conceding 44 points at Gateshead the previous week, Sheffield coach Mark Aston was keen to improve on his side’s defensive efforts.

The visitors did a very good job of slowing down the home team’s play-the-balls — not always in a legal fashion, Oldham argued — and it prevented Benson’s men from attacking with the speed and movement that had characterised the midweek victory over Rochdale.

While some supporters bemoaned the efforts of half-backs James Coyle and Neil Roden, though, Benson was quick to make the point of how difficult the game was for them to direct given the home team’s difficulties around the ruck.

“I heard people after the game talking about our halves, but I thought they went alright,” said Benson, who is confident his team will make it through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

“Sheffield got their hand on the ball at the ruck and slowed us down a lot and it didn’t help us. Kicking off a flat attack is very difficult too.”

The way results and fixtures have played out, the chances of the Roughyeds qualifying for the last eight look very healthy at this stage.

Two sides outside the current top four cut-off point in pool one, Barrow and Widnes, have yet to face each other at Craven Park and only one of those two can realistically expect to make it.

The only other team that can overhaul Oldham are Blackpool, yet for that to happen the Panthers would need at least three more points and an unlikely positive points difference from their final two matches against Widnes and Halifax.