Last-gasp anguish for Roughyeds

FOUND THE GAP: Danny Whitmore scoots in to score Oldham’s fourth try in the first half.

Crusaders 30, Oldham 28
DESPERATE to record their first league win in nearly two-and-a-half months, Oldham suffered the agony of having a last-minute winner rejected for a forward pass from John Clough to David Ellison.

It put the big prop through a huge hole in the North Wales defence and he cleverly sidestepped full-back Tommy Johnson to go under the posts, only for referee Matt Thomason to take a lead from a touchjudge before ruling it out.

Reacting out of sheer frustration, Clough was copped for dissent, thus providing Crusaders with their 15th penalty overall, their 11th in a row and their eighth — against none the other way — in the second half.

On such marginal forward-pass decisions, tight matches are won and lost, Oldham suffering twice in this way, Crusaders once.

The home side was already 10-0 up after an appalling start by Roughyeds, when Billy Sheen and Johnson put left-wing Rob Massam over in the corner, only for the referee on this occasion to come to Oldham’s rescue.

A touchjudge denied the visitors similarly early in the second half after Neil Roden’s wide ball was deflected in flight and ended up with John Gillam, who sailed over near the corner flag for a score which would have put Benson’s men 16 points ahead.

Once they had found their feet after a dreadful opening spell, Roughyeds looked far more balanced and structured in midfield with Roden back at stand-off to give the side some much-needed direction.

Roden played a vital role in the second of bustling Michael Ward's two first-half tries, Ellison’s try and the one Oldham try of the second half in which he cleverly kicked inside for Miles Greenwood to win the touchdown race and score under the posts.

Greenwood had a blinder. He was the one Oldham player to cause consternation in the Crusaders ranks every time he carried the ball.

Chris Holroyde’s fourth goal from five attempts gave Oldham an eight-point lead, but there then followed another split-second misjudgment by Oldham which was once again to prove damaging.

The restart kick after Greenwood’s try caught John Gillam in two minds on the touchline. He opted to take it, rather than let it go out on the full, and in so doing he put a foot in touch, thus giving Crusaders the scrum.

By the time Oldham next saw the ball they were 30-28 down, Crusaders having turned the screw with some exciting rugby which produced two late tries for hat-trick hero Leon Brennan.

Oldham finally began to claw their way back after receiving three penalties in a row and after Clough’s introduction off the bench at hooker. But a long string of penalties wore the team down and Crusaders slipped the vital two points in front.



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