Oldham 36 Doncaster 16: Gutsy Oldham are in the pink

HIGH FIVES: Oldham celebrate a Daryl Cardiss try last night.

A PURPLE patch midway through the second half enabled the Roughyeds to pick up an invaluable three points in the chase for promotion to National League One.

Four quick converted tries either side of the hour mark, two of which came from outstanding second row forward Tommy Goulden, saw Oldham – playing some pacy and intelligent attacking rugby on the back of a spell of sustained pressure – shoot to a commanding 34-8 lead.

And that was achieved despite losing two players in the first half, stand-off Ian Hodson going off with a broken nose and Craig Littler suffering a fractured jaw. Add to that Jason Boults hobbling to the bench with a knee injury in the second period and overall, this was a very gutsy effort from the home team.

As a result of fatigue as much as anything else, Ellery Hanley’s visitors managed two tries in the latter stages, but it was only ever going to be enough to get within range of a stab at a bonus point.

Ultimately, even that was beyond them. In truth it would have been more than the visitors merited, after a fairly lifeless show from a team that also harbours top-two ambitions.

Prior to the flurry of tries, though, this had been a nip-and-tuck game strewn with a number of handling errors from both sides.

Steve Deakin’s men had started the brighter and could have been well clear in the scoring before Doncaster found their feet.

Playing in a special pink kit in a nod to the two charities benefiting from donations collected on the night, the Roughyeds gave the bumper crowd of 2,806 something to cheer when Mick Nanyn hit home a fourth-minute penalty goal.

The ever-dangerous Daryl Cardiss then broke the line before full-back Ashley Thackeray hauled him down, but Oldham didn’t have to wait long for a reward for some strong running.

A move involving James Coyle and Richard Mervill set Boults away down the centre. The big prop looked set to score himself but for some excellent defending which saw the ball knocked from his grasp, only for Littler to wriggle over on the right as the Doncaster line failed to reorgainse.

Despite making one of a number of errors on kick-off returns, Oldham were still enjoying the better of things and went further in front when Cardiss pounced on a loose ball in the visitors’ in-goal, after Nanyn’s pass to him had been deflected.

BARRAGE

Nanyn missed both conversions and, after losing possession in almost every set in the opening 20 minutes, Ellery Hanley’s men finally got into the match to pen the Roughyeds back with a number of repeat sets.

The barrage bore fruit on 28 minutes when a slick pass from Luke Gale found Peter Green running through a hole on the left, Gale converting before adding a penalty six minutes from half-time.

In such a tight match, the first try after half-time assumed great importance and it was to the relief of Oldham supporters that their team came up with it.

Coyle’s kick on the last tackle on 53 minutes bobbled around to end up just behind the line and Danny Halliwell, who kept up his excellent form with another uncompromising showing in the second row, was first to react.

From there, the Roughyeds went on a roll. Goulden somehow twisted his body to touch down despite three tacklers forcing him backwards two minutes before the hour and added another, finding a great angle off a lovely short Matty Brooks pass, only three minutes later.

Luke Sutton marked another promising outing with his first try for the club, though it seemed as much a surprise to him as anyone else. The game was ready to restart with Doncaster possession when video referee Thierry Alibert ruled that the prop had, in fact, grounded the ball just over the line on the last tackle.

Doncaster came back into it in the closing stages and scored a pair of tries wide out on the left through Wayne Riettie and lively hooker Corey Lawrie.

But a penalty from the boot of Nanyn sewed up a well-earned victory for Oldham, whose battered and bruised players will be grateful of a 10-day rest until the next match, at home to Keighley.