Thunder silenced by dynamic duo

THE influential Luke Sutton takes no prisoners during a powerful run into the heart of the Gateshead Thunder defence.

Gateshead 16, Oldham 52
Ellison and Sutton put Gateshead to the sword after even start

DAVE Ellison and Luke Sutton were the stars of the show as Oldham earned what was in the end a comfortable victory over Co-operative Championship One strugglers on a glorious afternoon.

Neither player was named in the starting line-up as Roughyeds coach Tony Benson switched his side around, handing debuts to Danny Bravo and Callum Casey – the latter youngster was also a substitute – but both had a massive impact in taking Oldham forward and through opposition who started the game very competitively.

Prior to the introduction of the prop pair, Benson’s men were involved in a tight battle, as Gateshead showed why they had held Doncaster to a stalemate in the opening 40 minutes a week earlier.

Then up stepped Sutton, offloading for a breaking Ben Heaton to surge forward from halfway, a move which eventually saw Andy Isherwood register a try that helped take the visitors a score in front at 12-6.

And former Keighley man Sutton was at it again three minutes later, driving powerfully and side-stepping daintily straight from a tap penalty close to the line.

Seven further tries followed for the Roughyeds. It would have been more but for a couple of bombed chances, a marginal forward pass decision and the brain-melt that saw John Clough needlessly swan-dive over the line under no pressure, dropping the pill as he did so.

In addition, Gateshead showed some good spirit to score a couple of late tries as Oldham’s game crumbled in the final quarter.

Overall, though, Benson will be pleased with a positive run-out.

Mark Brocklehurst grabbed an opportunistic hat-trick – that’s seven in two matches against Thunder this season for him – to add to the ‘positives’ column, which also features a mention that this was a first win away from home in 2011.

Thunder started the game strongly in the opening quarter and took the lead after eight minutes.

Lively centre Joe Brown had already signalled his intent with one dart and his second was even more effective as play was spread quickly and effectively from right to left.

Matthew Fogarty had a try disallowed for a forward pass as Oldham started to find their attacking feet.

And less than a minute later, the same player was celebrating after Gateshead had spilled the ball near their own line, Fogarty bursting through from the resulting scrum.

Carl Forber’s goal levelled matters and the stand-off also produced a terrific 40-20 kick in the opening half, providing evidence of coach Tony Benson’s preference for experience over the relative youth of Jamie Dallimore in the number six role.

Isherwood and Sutton’s tries followed to leave the visitor sitting pretty at 18-6 up.

Clough celebrated his first try with a somersault as he touched down from a lovely one-handed pass by Casey on the half-hour and Brocklehurst squeezed home in the right corner after a spell of concerted pressure before Clough fluffed his chance for a second shortly before half-time.

Casey thought he had crossed three minutes after the restart only to see it chalked off for obstruction, before tries by Clough and Forber made the scoreline even more emphatic.

Gateshead didn’t need big prop Tabua Cakacaka to be sent to the sin bin, but that is what they got.

In the time Thunder were reduced to 12 men, Brocklehurst darted home out wide and the same player profited two minutes later thanks to one of many lung-busting surges forward by Ellison.

Johnny Shields and Clarke took their respective tries with aplomb as the home side battled on, Oldham simultaneously losing some focus.

More skilful play from Ellison sent home Forber to finish things off and top the half-century mark on the final hooter.