Naylor’s men prove muddy marvels

Photo: Jon Granger

OLDHAM players, spearheaded by Danny Langtree (left), gang up to halt a Barrow attack.

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Barrow 0, Oldham 22

With a 22-0 win at Barrow - where they were beaten twice in three games last season - Oldham gave a clear indication that preparations for Championship rugby are well in hand.

Tries by Richard Lepori, Jon Ford, Kenny Hughes and Phil Joy — three of them in a second half that Roughyeds dominated despite Jack Spencer’s spell in the sin bin — gave visiting fans loads to enthuse about.

Only rarely do the Raiders fail to score at home. This time the tricky surface of sand and mud made Oldham’s superiority even more creditable. Fresh from a 10-10 draw with Championship side Workington Town, and fielding new signings Ryan Fieldhouse and Oliver Wilkes and Martin Aspinwall, Barrow fancied their chances.

But such was the quality of the Roughyeds’ play that they seriously threatened the visitors’ try line only once in 80 minutes.

In contrast, Scott Naylor’s men maintained an attacking momentum when down to 12 men — when Hughes scored from dummy half after Ford had gone close, and when two more chances to score were lost through dodgy handling.

Had Roughyeds taken all their chances, Barrow would have been blown away.

Naylor’s original plan was to use no more than 19 players, but when he watched DVD footage of the Barrow-Workington game and saw how heavy the pitch was he went with all 21 squad members plus Michael Wood, a young duel-reg forward from Huddersfield.

The only try of the first half was a gem. With the clock running down, Danny Grimshaw timed his pass to put Danny Langtree clear on the right. Richard Lepori got with him on the inside to race away and score from half way. Steve Roper goaled.

Ford, replacing Jamel Chisholm on the left wing, scored next after good work by Lepori and Jack Holmes. Lewis Palfrey, who came on for Roper early in the second half, landed a great goal off the left-side touchline as Oldham surged clear.

Spencer was handed a yellow card for a late challenge on Brad Marwood after a kick, but Oldham continued to press and were rewarded when Hughes crossed from dummy half after Ford had gone close to scoring his second.

Finally, Phil Joy crashed in for the fourth try, taking a short ball from Hughes to stretch for the line and touch down.