Roughyeds sink to new depths

Photo: PICTURES: CHRIS SUNDERLAND.

NOWHERE TO GO: Oldham’s new signing Daniel Smith runs into a wall of Rochdale jerseys.

Oldham 4, Rochdale 30
THERE have been some poor Oldham performances during a run of eight league games without a win, but this was easily the worst.

Hornets were far from brilliant. But on this showing they were streets ahead of Roughyeds, who

struggled to stay with them for an hour and then collapsed abysmally in the later stages.

Defensively and offensively, Hornets were in the ascendancy from start to finish, playing with a zest and a level of enthusiasm which the limp, lethargic Roughyeds never once looked capable of replicating.

In theory this was to be the strongest Oldham side for several weeks with the return from injury of Lucas Onyango in the backs and of Paul Noone, Paul Smith and Alex Thompson in the forwards.

Rochdale simply made a nonsense of that by holding Tony Benson's men at bay in the first half, when playing up the slope and into the wind, and then seeing them off with four unanswered tries in the second half when the elements were in their favour.

Hornets didn't come to take prisoners. In the opening minutes Gary Middlehurst and Paul Noone were seen squaring up before the generally unflappable Neil Roden reacted angrily to a challenge and got himself penalised.

Roden and his half-back partner Danny Whitmore were harassed and hustled out of the game by

opponents who had clearly identified them as the danger men who could make Oldham tick.

With each of their halves constantly under severe pressure, Oldham's attacking contribution was little better than nil.

Oldham ended the half 4-6 in arrears without ever convincing the Whitebank faithful that they had enough in the tank for the second half.

The worst fears of fans were realised when Rochdale's kick-off for the second half flew past the covering Whitmore to go dead, giving the visitors the ball from the drop out under the posts.

Oldham were immediately struggling on their own line, and that was to set the pattern for most of the second half.

Trailing 12-4, Roughyeds still had an outside chance of getting something from the game, but that was quickly taken away from them. Oldham gave their fans a smattering of hope with two left-wing raids, but both came to nothing. Another Oldham attack broke down deep in Hornets territory and Roper picked up the loose ball for big prop John Cookson to send Leather away on a long run to the Oldham line.

Phil Braddish went in next to record the Hornets fifth and final try before Chris Baines smashed through more weak Oldham tackling.

A frustrated Roden then got himself sin-binned for slowing up a Hornets play - to bring to an end a depressing afternoon for Roughyeds supporters.






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