Benson’s battlers defy the odds
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date published: 21 September 2009
Oldham 54, Hunslet 30
EVEN Oldham’s own coach described his team as underdogs going into this game.
Whether it was a cute psychological ploy, freeing the side from the burden of expectation so that they could fully express themselves, we can’t know.
If it was, it worked. Tony Benson’s threadbare outfit simply blew Hunslet Hawks away in this Co-operative Championship One elimination semi-final tie, not only winning but rubbing it in the face of a side that only two weeks ago looked so impressive against the same, then slightly demoralised opposition.
It was thrilling to watch, shovelling plenty of fuel onto the fire of Oldham’s promotion locomotive.
Hopefully, it won’t run out of steam by next week – though even if it does, reaching this stage alone is a massive achievement given the turmoil contained within an already-extraordinary season that threatens to get even better.
Entering the contest with a squad made up of the only available players he had – and some of those were carrying heavy knocks – Benson watched with pride as his side thoroughly dominated the opposition from start to somewhere near the end when fatigue set in.
Even a slightly dodgy patch just after half-time, when Paul March’s men threatened to claw their way back in to the contest, was negotiated in style when emergency centre Matty Ashe sashayed past two tackles to score a terrific try 45th-minute try.
Converted with typical assurance by man of the match Chris Baines it took the home team three scores ahead at 34-16 up.
Staggeringly given the importance of the occasion, Baines finished with four tries and nine goals for 34 points, equalling the all-time club record set earlier this season at London Skolars by now-departed winger Andy Ballard.
Three more second half-tries from the wily Martin Roden, the second of his double, Thomas Coyle and the heroic Baines, and the job was done.
This was very much a team performance. Paul Reilly at full-back was terrific once again, half-backs Neil Roden and Thomas Coyle had big games on the back of a huge forwards effort and the superb Tommy Goulden popped up here there and everywhere.
Former Doncaster player Craig Lawton had been missing in recent weeks due to personal difficulties but came back after a solitary training session to make a huge impact against a Hunslet side who had no answer to Oldham’s attacking prowess.
From the start, there was the sense that this was an Oldham team determined to give it absolutely everything. Enthusiasm was allied with skill – always a potent combination – as the Hawks were given a severe examination.
A penalty for back-chat gave Baines his first two points on five minutes and Oldham extended that slender lead soon after.
Coyle had already very nearly set Baines in once before the same combination went one better following enterprising work from Lawton.
The next try on 18 minutes owed much to Hunslet ill-discipline – or a tough call from referee Jamie Leahy, depending on your affiliations. Penalised for being offside off their own line as Oldham kicked away a chance on the last tackle, Martin Roden was alert enough to take a quick tap and scurry over.
Hunslet scored through Wayne McHugh after some rare pressure, while lively winger Michael Mark also missing a couple of opportunities.
But the first half was emphatically the Roughyeds’ and Baines chased down a long Coyle kick to touch down, landing the goal for an 18-6 lead.
Goulden then threw out a superb, inch-perfect cut-out pass for Paul O’Connor to go over in the left corner before Baines claimed his hat-trick try, converting before Wayne Reittie’s first for the Hawks made it 28-10 at half-time.
O’Connor failed to take Josh Weden’s bomb two minutes after the restart and ex-Roughyeds loan centre Michael Brown profited, but any home nerves were settled by Ashe’s excellent effort.
Martin Roden then ducked over, a Baines penalty followed and when Coyle and Baines both split the line to slide in, the Roughyeds led 52-16 just after the hour – meaning rampant Oldham had racked up 24 points in the space of a little over a quarter-hour.
Hawks player-coach Paul March went into the sin-bin for back-chat on 67 minutes, as did Luke Menzies of Oldham a few minutes later for a high shot.
The visitors managed further tries from Riettie, Mark and Weeden as Oldham understandably tired, though a Baines penalty goal four minutes from the end, equalling Ballard’s mark, brought plenty of late cheer.
Coach salutes wounded heroes
ROUGHYEDS coach Tony Benson paid tribute to his weary and wounded heroes after another effort high on energy – not to mention attacking skill – took the team to within 80 minutes of a third consecutive play-off final appearance.
Robbed of the services of injury victims Phil Joseph and Craig Robinson on the eve of the elimination semi-final tie at Boundary Park, Benson named the only ‘fit’ 17 he could, including Craig Lawton who returned to training after a period of personal difficulties on Thursday night.
He was repaid with what was undoubtedly the performance of the season, with special praise handed out to record-equalling Chris Baines.
“He is one of our stars,” said Benson of the goal-kicking second rower. “He stepped in when the players left and said, let’s have a go at this.
“Week in, week out he has done it and he has got better every week as well.
“By the end we were pretty busted out there. I was running out of substitutions.
“But we stuck to what we had trained for during the week and put the energy towards the right areas, which makes a big difference.”
Injury problems persist ahead of a testing trip to York on Sunday, but in producing a performance of the calibre which blew Hunslet away Benson reckons his team is capable of going all the way to gain promotion.
“Confidence is high, the enthusiasm is there and the intensity at training is phenomenal. So anything can happen. We are on a roll and we are not going to get off it.”
