Prenton 10 Oldham 13
As Storm Austen continued to batter the country, Oldham braved the inclement weather for a long drive to a wet and windy Wirral to face Prenton. Another side to have joined the ADM structure this year, Prenton were looking to make their mark early on. Oldham, meanwhile, were looking to build on a much-improved performance the previous week, but were still searching for that elusive first league win.
A few changes, as ever, to the travelling Manor Park side saw Harvey Ward, Phil Conroy, Chris Shaw and Simon Renshaw return to the starting line-up, with Shane Connaughton also coming into the squad alongside debutant Matty Brown.
The game started much as you might expect, with swirling winds and wet surfaces contributing to early mistakes from both sides. The forwards were glad of the opportunity for an early cuddle, with plenty of scrums in the opening exchanges. Oldham, however, looked the stronger of the two packs, with some fine scrummaging from Paul Wardle, Jordan McEwan and Shaw giving the visitors the upper hand early on.
With neither side able to play much expansive rugby, it was Prenton who looked to carry hard in the opening stages. But the dogged determination of the Oldham defence, led by Jack Taylor, Harvey Ward and Josh Semple, saw the door firmly shut at every opportunity, forcing the home side to look elsewhere for a way through.
Prenton used the conditions well in the first half, finding touch with some excellent kicking and looking to force errors in the Oldham lineout in the wind and rain. However, old heads McEwan and Taylor remained as calm and collected as ever, rising like wild Atlantic salmon in the River Tay. They secured their own ball well and continued to disrupt the home side's possession, forcing a number of turnovers throughout the game.
A fantastic kick from the Prenton full-back, aided by the swirling winds, put the pressure on Oldham's back three. A strong kick chase piled on further pressure, and Alex Jobson was penalised for an infringement at the ruck, handing Prenton a shot at goal directly in front of the posts. With a yellow card awarded the home kicker made no mistake, giving Prenton an early lead. Prenton 3–0 Oldham.
With a man advantage, the home side began to build further pressure. An unforced error from a kick return handed Prenton a scrum deep inside the Oldham 22. A quick pick from the base, followed by slick hands, exploited the overlap and saw the home side cross in the corner. The conversion was then expertly dispatched from out wide, despite the testing conditions. Prenton 10–0 Oldham.
It was beginning to look as though the game might slip away from Oldham early on. In recent weeks, the side had struggled to take control of games when opportunities presented themselves. However, Oldham knew the task ahead and began to build some momentum of their own. Half-backs James Edwards and Cameron Robinson started to dictate play, while Andy Birch, Shaw, Renshaw and Ward carried strongly over the gain line.
Despite the scoreboard, the game remained very much in the balance, and Oldham knew they couldn't afford to concede another score before half-time. It was a pattern they had become all too familiar with this season, with late scores in the first half proving costly. However, the Oldham defence remained resolute despite the Birkenhead side's best efforts. Conroy and Reece Blakeley shut down any advances out wide, while through the middle, the red-and-white wall remained stubbornly intact.
With six minutes remaining on the clock, Oldham found themselves advancing deep into the opposition half as Corey Kelly bundled a Prenton player into touch. Skipper, Tom Davies opted to attack, looking to get some much-needed points on the board before the break. He began orchestrating the back line in preparation for what could only have been described as the best-worked try ever seen in an Oldham shirt.
However, much to everyone's dismay and disbelief, the referee blew for half-time, seemingly with six minutes still showing on the clock. An apparent watch malfunction in the inclement weather had brought proceedings to an abrupt end, leaving Oldham to wonder what might have been.
Half-time: Prenton 10–0 Oldham.
The message at half-time was simple: a bit of patience and composure. The defence had been excellent; Oldham just needed more possession and to use the conditions to their advantage in the second half. At the break, Shaw, who had enjoyed some of his best minutes in an Oldham shirt in recent years, made way for club stalwart Ross Cooper.
Davies opted to kick long at the restart, and immediately the Oldham defence continued to pile pressure on the home side, with some fine tackles flying in from Edwards, Taylor and Semple. A series of fantastic first-up tackles opened the door for Birch to get over the ball and to stop possession for the visitors forcing a penalty.
Much to head coach Jim Forster's dismay, Oldham opted to go for the corner, knowing they needed to get points on the board. As ever, the men in red and white set up their driving maul, but Prenton, quick to react, stepped off and forced Oldham to play. The quick-thinking forwards readjusted and carried strongly before setting up another powerful maul. This time, the home defence was decimated, allowing McEwan to dot down for Oldham's first points of the afternoon. The wind just pulled Jobson's conversion attempt wide. Prenton 10–5 Oldham.
A reshuffle in the backs saw McEwan move to scrum-half, Brown slot into the centres and versatile winger Conroy move up to flanker.
Oldham were now visibly the more confident of the two sides, with a powerful combination of carries from Wardle, Ward and Semple laying fantastic foundations for the backs to start playing some free-flowing rugby. With Robinson and Davies attacking the line, it wasn't long before Prenton found themselves on the back foot.
A long, low kick from Jobson was chased well by Kelly and Brown, who immediately put the Prenton defence under pressure. That pressure eventually resulted in a penalty for Oldham, and Jobson opted to take the shot at goal. Unfortunately, the wind pulled his effort wide once again.
From the resulting 22-metre drop-out, Prenton opted to go long, but Blakeley collected well and looked to open things up with his blistering pace. A strong chase from the home side forced Blakeley to settle and retain possession.
McEwan and Robinson now had the pack well-orchestrated, and Oldham were enjoying some sustained phases of possession. With possession came pressure, and Prenton were once again penalised.
This time, Davies opted for the corner with a fine kick, giving the pack another opportunity to apply pressure deep inside the opposition 22.
In what was almost a carbon copy of the earlier try, Birch peeled away from the lineout to secure possession. A series of quick phases from the forwards followed, allowing Semple to crash over and bring the scores level. From an almost identical position, Jobson again failed to add the extras, leaving Oldham just short of taking the lead. It looked as though he'd left his kicking boots at home that day, or so we thought...
From the restart, club stalwart Cooper was caught out by the difficult conditions, allowing Prenton to regain possession from the lineout. But whatever plan the home side had to test the Oldham defence, the visitors were having none of it, knocking Prenton backwards with every phase.
Seemingly running out of options, Prenton once again resorted to the boot. McEwan comfortably dealt with the kick and, in turn, produced a beautiful 50:22 to hand Oldham possession deep inside the opposition half.
From the resulting lineout, Conroy and Semple carried strongly before the ball was moved wide. Robinson floated a beautiful pass for Brown, who crashed through a gap in the shape of a would-be defender. Quick hands shifted the ball back out to Robinson, who followed through on an arcing run before being stopped just short of the line.
Further strong carries from the pack secured the perfect field position for golden balls himself, Alex Jobson. By this point, he'd seemingly found his kicking boots, as he calmly slotted a drop goal from 35 metres out to put the Manor Park side in front for the first time in the game.
Prenton 10–13 Oldham.
Oldham were now playing with a confidence seldom seen so far this season. But the job wasn't done, and there was still work to do. Having been so close the previous week before losing their lead late on, the visitors knew they needed to manage the game intelligently to ensure history didn't repeat itself.
Winger Shane Connaughton came on for Blakeley, giving him the opportunity to show what he was made of. In the remaining ten minutes, he did just that.
Alongside the rest of the men in red and white, Connaughton helped see out a period in which Oldham took control of the game and collectively demonstrated a defensive resolve that never looked like allowing Prenton a way back to the try line.
With the clock winding down, Taylor rose in front of his opposite number at the final lineout to secure the ball and bring the game to a close.
A fantastic team performance from Oldham, demonstrating real grit, determination, togetherness and the intelligence needed to react to adversity and see out a game. Earning their first league win of the season will be a huge boost for the side, but the manner in which they achieved it will hopefully prove a turning point in their fortunes this season.
Man of the Match could have gone to a number of players following their efforts, including Phil Conroy, who tackled and carried tirelessly throughout the afternoon, seamlessly swapping positions when required. However, the award went to yet another versatile player, Jordan McEwan, whose defensive work, lineout prowess, organisational skills, distribution and try ultimately earned him the nod.
Stuart Brennan
