Spirited Oldham grasp a lifeline

Photo: Dave Murgatroyd

ON YOU GO . . . Danny Grimshaw (right) flicks a pass out to Adam Clay (centre) during Oldham's win.

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BATTLING back from an early 12-0 deficit, never-say-die Oldham grabbed a lifeline in their fight to avoid relegation.

Two-try Danny Langtree was on top of his game, giving a superb first-half performance to lead the charge as Roughyeds racked up 26 points without reply in a 26-18 triumph that sent fans home with smiles on their faces for the first time in weeks.

Left-wing Jamel Chisholm, his centre Kieran Gill and prop Phil Joy also crossed Whitehaven's line to register tries, while teenager Sam Wood converted three of them, the first a towering effort off the left touchline.

Scott Naylor chose to give several senior men a break and go with dual-reg youngsters Wood and Kruise Leeming from Huddersfield Giants and on-loan duo Gill, from Castleford Tigers, and Lewis Foster (Leigh Centurions).

All four played significant roles in a win on merit ­- one from which Naylor's men will surely absorb confidence and energy to take into an intriguing six-team scrap to avoid the drop over the remaining 11 games.

There's still a mountain to climb for second-bottom Oldham, but this game was all about establishing base camp in the foothills and they managed it thanks to an all-round team effort in which Langtree, full-back Richard Lepori, Joy, Joe Burke, Craig Briscoe and Liam Thompson delivered top-notch performances.

Gareth Owen, clearly regarded by Naylor now as a half-back in his own right, weighed in with an excellent first-half show, typical of which was his vision and technical ability in providing the flat pass which put 'Langers' in for his second.

The four 'imports' also contributed massively as Roughyeds clawed their way back into the game after an awful start; got well on top; and then did enough in the second half to keep their lead intact.

As one would expect of an 18-year-old thrown in at the deep end and trusted with special responsibilities, Wood looked class in parts, over ambitious in others.

He didn't allow two early blunders, when his powerful left foot put restart kicks out on the full, to get the better of him.

Some youngsters would have melted away. Not this one. Not long afterwards he was involved in a quick-hands shift from right to left which got Chisholm in at the corner for a superb try. Then he nailed the goal off the touchline with another monstrous kick.

Moments later he spotted Haven full-back Jessie Joe Parker positioning himself almost up in the defensive wall, so he drilled a low-trajectory kick to the in-goal from distance and Langtree anticipated to hit top stride and win the touchdown race.

This time, and from a much easier position, Wood smacked his conversion attempt against a post.

It didn't damage his self-belief, as demonstrated in the second half when he made nearly half the length of the pitch with a touch-finding penalty.

It wasn't entirely clear at times whether he was playing half-back or centre ­- he and Danny Grimshaw swapped between the two ­- but 20-year-old new-boy Gill was a fixture at left-centre and when his big moment came he grasped it with both hands.

Shortly before half-time he received with room to move and with a classical touch of old-fashioned centre play he used his winger as a foil to slice through the outside gap and immediately salute to the Oldham fans at that end of the ground as he scored his first try for Oldham and his first at Championship level.

Both hookers, Leeming first and then Foster off the bench, showed up well, each keeping the Cumbrians' defence guessing when dictating from dummy-half and each landing a superb 40-20, Foster in the first half and Leeming in the second.

Oldham began slowly and nervously with a succession of early errors which gave the visitors all the ball and all the field position.

They were rewarded with tries by Steve Fox and Ryan Duffy, both goaled by Ed Chamberlain, but after that Oldham got into the ascendancy; stayed there; and extended their 20-0 interval lead with a fifth try by Joy under the posts after good work in the build-up by Leeming, Wood, Langtree and Briscoe.

Time was nearly up when Jessie Joe Parker grabbed a consolation try for Whitehaven with a break down Oldham's left flank.