Roughyeds thrill in falling short

LOST BALL . . . Adam Neal can't manage to cling on to possession for Oldham

IF what we've seen in the first three of Oldham's 30 Championship matches is to be replicated in the rest, fans can look forward to their most exhilarating season for years.

Sheffield, in victory, was good; Featherstone, in defeat but deserving of at least a point, was better; London Broncos, another hard-luck story after an inspirational effort, was the best so far.

Roughyeds supporters, all 558 of them, raised the roof. No prizes for originality, but full marks for sincerity as they revved up the volume with "C'mon Oldham, c'mon Oldham" or just "Oldham, Oldham".

LUCKY

These were the lucky ones; fans in full voice, eager to get behind a group of players who were busting a gut, or rather 17 guts, in pursuit of a collective goal which would have been considered well above their station in any other field of combat.

To fall so narrowly short for the second time in seven days, after a monumental effort, was heartbreaking.

They were never behind until Rhys Williams came up with the killer try five minutes from the end, against the run of play and from deep inside the Broncos 20-metre zone where Roughyeds were attacking in pursuit of their own game-breaker.

Built like a tank, the Welsh wing fielded an Oldham grubber, got up a head of steam, smashed through Jack Spencer and went around Scott Turner up the touchline to silence Bower Fold for the first time in 75 minutes.

Oldham still had a chance to square things up at 20-20, but with his third penalty attempt after two previous successes, the little half-back smashed the ball against an upright - and into the safe hands of a Broncos defender.

Scott Leatherbarrow had similarly failed to level things up at Featherstone in the previous game and Hewitt was only kicking because his senior half-back and chief marksman had been forced to quit with a gashed head in one of the first tackles of the second half.

To lose a leader, goalkicker, talisman and chief playmaker with a full half left was a major blow.

It looked at one stage, as he patrolled the touchline with head swathed in bandages, that he would be going back on, but it never happened and it was left to Hewitt alone to get his left foot working.

He kicked two penalty goals to push his side 18-12 in front and at that stage you would have put money on a famous, fabulous Oldham victory.

Enter one Jarrod Sammut. Despite scoring London's opening try when Turner failed to field his tricky short kick near Oldham's line, the talented Australian had generally been kept in check.

Not this time though. A dummy, twinkling footwork and the strength to pull out of a tackle carried him clear up the middle through a hitherto rock-solid Oldham defence.

HAULED

He was hauled down eventually, but the damage was done and on the next play Daniel Harrison scored the try that sparked the Broncos late fightback.

Sammut failed to convert, leaving Oldham clinging to an 18-16 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

They continued to search for the match-clinching try and it looked like coming when Turner put Keiran Gill up the middle. With Turner and Hewitt on his inside, he fed Owen on his right and the hooker, at half-back as Leatherbarrow's replacement, was hauled down from behind.

Soon after that, Williams delivered the coup de grace; Hewitt rattled the upright with his penalty; and it was all over.

Oldham deserved at least a draw. They more than held their own in the first half when two tries by dual-reg centre Sam Wood and three Leatherbarrow goals edged them into a 14-12 interval lead.

Wood's first followed a long interception break by Adam Clay, who was hauled down just short, allowing the lanky Huddersfield Giants youngster to score from dummy half.

He collected Leatherbarrow's high crosskick to score his second, but with ball in hand, and despite Hewitt's excellent kicking game, Roughyeds never quite seemed the same after Leatherbarrow's injury.

It didn't dampen spirits, nor did it weaken their resolve - qualities that will rattle more than a few sides this year and surely inspire more fans to visit Bower Fold.