Horror spell proves costly: GATESHEAD 34, OLDHAM 16

GOTCHA! Roughyeds dump Neil Roden (left) and Rob Roberts wrestle Gateshead Thunder’s Sam Crowther to the ground.

3 More Image(s) In Gallery

A NIGHTMARE opening to the second half saw the Roughyeds blow their chances of making it into the last eight of the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

Entering the changing rooms 6-4 up but knowing it could, and possibly should, have been a greater advantage as a result of a strong start to the game, Oldham crumbled badly when play resumed.

With lax control in their own territory, the initiative — not to mention the ball — was regularly handed over to the side now helmed by Steve McCormack.

And last year’s National League Two champions took full, devastating advantage to rack up four game-defining tries in the space of only 13 minutes.

Attractive efforts from Danny Halliwell and Dave Allen just after the hour briefly threatened to spark a revival but Tony Benson’s men had given themselves far too much to do.

The Roughyeds will look back on a number of missed opportunities at the Darlington Arena.

The first arrived after only four minutes, Thomas Coyle’s high kick to the corner drifting on the wind and arcing just out of the reach of on rushing winger Andy Ballard.

The younger Coyle brother then narrowly avoided creating a scoring chance on the opposite wing, his raking long pass proving slightly too strong for Lucas Onyango to take as the Roughyeds continued to press strongly.

Tommy Goulden was next to threaten, breaking the line with a powerful run only for Paul O’Connor in support to be seemingly dragged back by his shirt off the ball by a defender. No penalty was forthcoming and the move broke down.

The respite for the home defence was brief. Goulden was still causing big problems on the left, and the second row man charged through one tackle and bounced off full-back Stewart Sanderson before being greeted with a big try-shaped hole in front of him after 13 minutes.

Ballard stroked home the conversion in impressive fashion but it was around this point that the home side started to get a foothold in the game.

Oldham defended manfully to keep Gateshead, always a lively attacking threat with the likes of experienced hooker Andrew Henderson pulling the strings, from scoring.

That was before O’Connor was penalised while in possession. The Oldham full-back said a word out of turn and as the home team marched another 10 metres downfield, Michael Knowles powered his way past several defenders to score on the right after 25 minutes.

The former Castleford second row forward thought he had converted his own effort to level the scores, but the touch judges disagreed.

It stayed that way until the half-time hooter sounded and at that stage, the high-scoring contest many had predicted appeared a long way off.

Gateshead started the second half where they left off, putting Oldham under big pressure.

It paid off six minutes in, Luke Branighan stealing in from dummy-half after Dylan Nash had gone close, and a Knowles conversion put Thunder ahead in the game for the first time. They didn’t look back.

Four minutes later Matt Barran burst free down the middle past some weak defence to add another and on 55 minutes Sanderson showed up well in support to take an inside ball and dive over on the right.

Two more Knowles conversions made it 22-6 and at this point, Oldham desperately needed to be next on the score sheet.

Instead, Thomas Coyle tried to offload in the tackle only to find Ben McApline, who scampered free to run in down the middle for a try which, when added to by Knowles, sealed the game.

Oldham continued to battle on and Allen then produced a moment of magic.

Appearing to have nowhere to go after charging down and picking up a Branighan kick, the forward produced a sublime ball out the back of his hand for the supporting Halliwell.

A good piece of play from O’Connor then led to Allen again breaking the line, this time going over himself, and with a quarter-hour left on the clock, Ballard’s conversion meant the visitors were only two scores adrift at 28-16.

But when James Coyle’s attempted pass was snaffled by Branighan, giving the scrum-half a clear run to the line, it was game over.

A late Knowles penalty ensured that Gateshead deservedly made it through to their first-ever Challenge Cup quarter-final, leaving Oldham to ponder again what might have been.




‘Gutted’ Benson rues missed opportunity



TONY Benson admitted that his side’s inability to retain possession in the crucial period after half-time cost them the chance of a lucrative place in the quarter-finals of the Carnegie Challenge Cup.



Oldham led 6-4 at the break at the Darlington Arena but after making a very bright start and failing to convert a number of chances, they needed to reassert their authority against a Thunder side who ended the first half the stronger.

It didn’t happen. The visitors regularly spilled possession and conceded penalties in their own territory and four Gateshead tries before the hour flipped the contest in favour of Steve McCormack’s men.

“I’m absolutely gutted,” admitted Benson. “It’s a one-off game and we didn’t come through, so we are all very disappointed.

“It was a good arm wrestle in the first half and both sides gave their all. We missed three or four opportunities that possibly, on another day, may have come off, but they didn’t.

“We went into the sheds just ahead but the game unfolded in the next 20 minutes when we seemed to be penalised off the park. I don’t know if they were right or wrong, but that is what happened.

“We didn’t see any ball and Gateshead responded well and took full advantage of it.”

A pair of quick-fire tries from Danny Halliwell and Dave Allen gave Oldham hope despite the home team’s purple patch, but ultimately the hill was too steep to climb.

When James Coyle’s attempted pass was snapped up by Luke Branighan with seven minutes left — the second intercept try for the home side — the game was up.

“We were playing catch-up and that’s when things like intercepts happen,” added Benson.

“In saying that, we didn’t let up, didn’t fold, kept coming back at them and at the end, right up until the last couple of intercepts, I thought we were still right in the game.

“If we had all the ball, we would have scored more. It is as simple as that really. The ratio of ball we had in that 20-minute period after half-time was quite unusual.

“If you have no ball, even the best sides will concede tries. We just kept giving it to them and that is not on.”