Another tale of huge frustration

TYLER Dickinson goes on the offensive for the hosts at Bower Fold

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SCOTT Leatherbarrow described it as "a massive game-changer."

It was more than that - it was the incident that threw Halifax a lifeline and cost Oldham the win they craved after five defeats in a row.

Key figure in it was George Tyson. Rough, tough and a nightmare for opponents to keep in check, he had a blinder.

At the height of Oldham's ascendancy - and, yes, they commanded possession and field position for long periods - they looked capable of going on and winning after hauling themselves back from a 12-0 half-time deficit to square things up at 12-12.

INSPIRED

They were well on top then. They came out for the second half like men inspired and for 20 minutes all the action took place at the end Fax were defending.

Gareth Owen was playing like the Owen of last season. He was sharp, confident and willing to back himself in trying something different from dummy half.

The forwards fired on all cylinders down the slope, with Michael Ward to the fore, and Fax were in turmoil.

Owen got Ben Davies over with a touch of ingenuity only to find the referee had blown for a Fax infringement in the build-up.

Undeterred, Scott Naylor's men continued to press and Scott Turner received from the half-backs to throw a dummy, perform a little shimmy and squeeze in for the try that opened Oldham's scoring.

Leatherbarrow failed to convert, but the try was the tonic Roughyeds needed to keep up the pressure and and ram home their advantage.

The pack's tackling at that stage was immense with one massive sledge-hammer hit from Ward underlining the strength of the side's resolve.

Owen's chip into the in-goal forced a repeat set and there followed a second Oldham try when Leatherbarrow found Ward on the charge and the big fella, all shoulders, arms and scrum cap, smashed his way past Will Sharp, the Fax full-back, to score.

Leatherbarrow's conversion, followed by a penalty goal, squared things up before Oldham went hunting down the lead for the first time.

Having replaced the injured Richard Lepori at full-back, Turner hit the line perfectly just inside the Fax half to give Tyson a sniff of an outside break.

The centre shook off Steve Tyrer's challenge, hit top speed, committed Sharp to the tackle and fed an in-the-clear Leatherbarrow on the inside.

The half-back had a free run to the line only to throw the ball away in sheer frustration when he realised Tyson had been pinged for a forward pass.

What a release for Fax! What a sickening disappointment for Oldham!

A try at that stage for an 18-12 lead would have given the home side the impetus to go on and finish the job.

COMPOSURE

In the event it knocked the stuffing out of them and gave Fax the help they needed to regather their composure, hit back with two converted tries in five minutes by Sharp and Moore and take the game out of Oldham's reach.

Roughyeds fell away badly and the visitors added a penalty and then a fifth try in the corner by Elliott Morris.

Fax finished worthy winners, scoring five tries to two, although Roughyeds had them by the throat at one stage.

Naylor's men also commanded territory for most of the first half. Early on Lepori was in brilliant form on every kick return but, try as they might, Roughyeds couldn't open up a well-organised Fax rearguard.

Adam Clay was denied in the corner and eventually Turner got over the line. He was convinced he had scored, but the man in charge ruled he was held up.

All this despite a cruel blow when Lepori turned his left ankle. He went on the wing to try to run it off, but he was forced to quit at half-time with Turner going to full-back.

Fax finally broke and immediately showed the home side how to do it when the outstanding Sharp went in for the first of his two tries. Soon after, a flat pass from Ryan Boyle found Brandon Douglas , who crashed over with Tyrer converting both tries for a 12-0 interval lead.

Naylor's men did well to claw their way back, but it all went horribly wrong as Oldham's woes continued.