Oldham struggle to maintain high level

AT THE DOUBLE: Oldham winger Adam Clay crossed for two tries at Keighley.

OLDHAM will need to improve on their second-half showing at Keighley if they are to retain the Law Cup at Spotland on Sunday.

As pre-season warm-up games go, yesterday’s run-out at Cougar Park was little more than an exercise in preparation for more important battles, though a 16-8 defeat wasn’t on coach Scott Naylor’s agenda.

He could smile at half-time when Roughyeds led 8-6 and had scored two tries to one despite playing up the slope and into a stiff wind on a muddy pitch.

Oldham looked to have established sufficient control to go on and win the game down the slope.

As expected, they monopolised possession and position early in the new half, but they couldn’t bust a stiff home defence to increase their interval lead and as they became increasingly frustrated and impatient they lost their way, lost their composure and invited Cougars back into the game.

Paul March’s men jumped at the chance, got well on top and scored the only two tries of the second-half to finish worthy winners.

Roughyeds saw little of the ball in the last half hour, mainly because they conceded a raft of penalties — seven in quick succession, most of them avoidable.

They lost much of their structure with the withdrawal, 10 minutes into the second half, of Steve Roper, who had played well up to then as one of three half-backs on view.

Naylor used all his 21 players and started with three of his new signings, Jamel Chisholm on the left wing, Jack Spencer at prop and Craig Briscoe in the second-row. His eight replacements all got a run, with the other new boy, Danny Grimshaw, taking over from captain Lewis Palfrey quarter of an hour before half-time.

Grimshaw slotted effortlessly into the right-side half back role and within minutes expertly set up. Adam Clay’s second try with a break out of nothing, followed by the sweetest of passes to his winger.

Speedster Chisholm’s benefit to Roughyeds will be best felt when grounds dry out, while Briscoe and Spencer worked hard and did enough to suggest they will go from strength to strength with more games under their belts.

Keighley had six new men in from the start and one of them, centre Charlie Martin, opened the scoring early on when put into space down Oldham’s right side by Adam Brook’s defence-splitting short pass.

Oldham didn’t take long to reply. Vinny Finigan failed to hold a Palfrey kick and the visitors made good use of scrum ball with Palfrey and the impressive Danny Langtree shifting the ball quickly right for Clay, another top performer, to cross in the corner.

Aided by five penalties in a row, Roughyeds went stronger as the half progressed and it needed stiff resistance from the Cougars defence to keep them at bay before Clay crossed for his second try thanks to Grimshaw’s classy approach work.

So far, so good. But it wasn’t to last.

Performance levels dropped significantly in the second half and Keighley capitalised with tries by Hamish Barnes, who smashed through Jon Ford’s tackle to score, and Ritchie Hawkyard, who touched down Brook’s deftly-placed grubber into Oldham’s in-goal area.

Brook converted two of his side’s three tries, while Palfrey and Roper each failed with attempts to improve Clay’s tries.