Team spirit delights Benson

ON THE CHARGE: Oldham’s Dave Ellison powers through the Doncaster line.

ROUGHYEDS coach Tony Benson was delighted with his team’s second-half show at Doncaster.

A seventh successive Co-operative Championship One victory — the best start an Oldham RL club has made to a league season for 38 years — keeps the team hot on the heels of leaders Hunslet and second-placed Blackpool, level on points with both.

But the Roughyeds were again made to do things the hard way at the Keepmoat Stadium, coming back from a 14-12 half-time deficit before claiming the points with a quick and controlled display after the interval. Report on Page 36.

“What I am pleased about is that we kept on fighting,” said Benson, who suffered two main injuries on the day with Chris Clarke requiring a number of stitches in a lip wound and Craig Robinson hyper-extending an elbow.

“At half-time, going in 14-12 down, I was happy. I knew that if we stayed with them then, if we had an even share of the ball and maintained what we were doing in the second half, then we would come away with it in the last 20 minutes.

“And that is pretty much what happened.

“We came out strong with a reasonably high completion rate and territory-wise, we played a lot more in their 20.

“I knew it would be tight in the first half. We were prepared for that and had spoken about it all week.

“We knew it would be an arm wrestle and that we had to be prepared to do that and stay in it.

“It was a mental state which we managed to cope with.

“Doncaster are a team who will beat plenty of other sides from here on in.

“They are a good side and I am happy with the result.

“Again, there are plenty of things for us to work on. But the plan we took to the field worked pretty well and we stuck to it, which was good.

“We have lots of different tools up our sleeves to use at different times and we are using them a lot more and choosing the right plays at the right times.”




THE RFL will make a provisional inspection of Oldham’s new Whitebank Stadium tomorrow afternoon.



Club officials are hopeful of getting the green light to stage Sunday’s game against York City Knights at their new home.

Extensive work has been done at the venue and should the RFL give the nod, the Roughyeds are “quietly confident” they will have the necessary work done by weekend.

“When we run out at Whitebank for the first time it will be a massive day for the club — and for rugby league in the town,” said club chairman Chris Hamilton.