Roughyeds left short-changed

Skolars 36, Oldham 34
A GAME which began in farce ended in agony for Oldham as they suffered a first-ever defeat to the capital’s semi-professional side.

The indifference to the fact another game was even taking place following Harlequins’ loss to Wigan at the Twickenham Stoop was evidenced by the PA announcer’s reassurance that a bar in the ground would remain open after the Engage Super League clash which kicked off the two hours beforehand.

Repeatedly, there was nary a reference to either Skolars or Oldham.

Tony Benson’s men had to change away from the ground, had an abbreviated warm-up as confusion reigned over the pre-game arrangements and then had to strip just behind their assigned dug-out.

To call the situation amateurish would be an affront to those thousands of amateur clubs who invest so much time doing things properly.

But while the ‘home’ side are perhaps used to being forgotten, it is clear this Skolars outfit is a very different beast from the sort of patched-together sides thrashed by all and sundry in seasons past.

Physically huge across the forwards — second-row forward Lamont Bryan took at least three men to halt his progress every time he was in possession — the slick and impressively resolute Skolars showed that their recent good form in battering Rochdale, seeing off Keighley and pushing Whitehaven to within a two-point defeat in Cumbria is no mere run of rare fortune.

Oldham, though, will see this as one that got away. After going 12-0 down inside the opening quarter and then 30-12 behind four minutes into the second period, a surge of three tries inside six minutes from John Gillam, Mark Brocklehurst and in-form Luke Sutton brought matters level as Carl Forber converted each effort.

Ten minutes later, Forber sidestepped Skolars coach Joe Mbu to stride home to edge the visitors head 34-30, the same player missing his conversion attempt.

Bravo was hauled down just short of the line prior to Forber’s touchdown and with Benson’s men buoyant and totally dominant after apparently taking the sting out of the Skolars’ muscular approach, three points appeared to be a formality in every sense.

The scoreboard, though, suggested otherwise.

And after a Roughyeds hand had flicked a wide pass forward when attempting to intercept — a

decision made in a split-second but one also made on the home side’s last tackle — experienced hooker Gareth Honor powered home from dummy-half close in to the line from the resulting repeat set. Influential scrum-half Dylan Skee added a decisive goal.

Seven minutes remained, but Oldham simply couldn’t gain the type of territory necessary to make amends.

Skolars had begun the contest well and, after forcing a drop-out, Skee found an angle to slice through the defence before converting his own try.

Gillam was then at fault for going to sleep in trying to let a kick roll into touch as the home side employed a consistent and effective tactic of kicking in behind the wingers.

Ade Adebisi snapped up the gift, Skee added the extra points and after only 16 minutes, the drowsy Roughyeds were two converted tries down.

Substitute hooker John Clough helped Oldham get on the front foot with an excellent 40-20 kick, which was followed up by Sutton crashing home off a short Neil Roden pass.

Valu Bentley somehow managed to push the ball down over the line under big pressure and as Forber kicked successive two-pointers, the game was level.

Up stepped another replacement in Austen Aggrey — now bulked up and operating as a speedy prop forward — to power through the line, handing on to full-back James Anthony on his inside.

And as Skolars again pressed, a poor knock-on call by referee Warren Turley was turned into a try as Sam Gee rolled over some poor marker defence close to the line.

Replacement loose forward Callum Casey was forced out of action after failing to come through a half-time fitness test.

And there was more bad news for the Roughyeds when a strong drive from battering-ram forward Lamont Bryan led to Jaroslaw Obuchowski gaining a one-on-one chance wide on the right wing, piling over his man to claim another home score.

Skee was on hand to claim his fifth goal from as many attempts.

Oldham then threatened a stunning comeback thanks to Gillam squeezing home, Brocklehurst clinically scampering on to a straight and telling line after cutting in from the right touchline, Sutton spinning a tackle to touch down and Forber splitting the home defensive line in two.

But Australia-born number seven Skee made it six from six to deal a telling blow to the Roughyeds’ hopes of making it to a fifth play-off final in succession.