Oldham scrape their way to a precious draw

Photo: PICTURES: MAX FLEGO.

Shaun Robinson flies into a tackle to stop Skolars’ John Paxton in his tracks.

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Skolars 20, Oldham 20
GRAHAM Holroyd made his debut at stand-off as Oldham salvaged two precious league points in north London despite the loss through injury of their two experienced second-row men, Paul Noone and Paul Smith.

Smith quit in the ninth minute with a damaged hamstring and Noone followed him early in the second half after taking a severe blow to his shin on which he will have a precautionary x-ray.

Such setbacks were the last thing Roughyeds needed after going into the game without the suspended John Clough and Danny Whitmore and with 36-year-old Holroyd playing his first game of rugby league for more than a year.

After a dodgy start, in which he conceded two early penalties, Holroyd did well behind a pack that struggled to match up to the strong-running Skolars forwards.

The visitors were nailed 11 times for various infringements and were also forced into countless handling errors on a day when little went right.

In such trying circumstances, it was a testament to the side's determination to overcome adversity that they scored four tries to London's three and had enough bottle to take a terrible pounding in the second half before finding the energy to earn a 20-20 draw with the second of Miles Greenwood's tries near the end.




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