Dons hang on as Oldham fight back

Jordan Paga dives over late in the game. Image courtesy of ORLFC

Oldham lost their 100 per cent Betfred League One record, and Doncaster retained theirs, following a thrilling 26-22 win for the men from South Yorkshire.

In a tight second versus third battle, second-placed Doncaster stormed into a 26-4 lead after an hour with their fifth try, and at that stage looked to be coasting to a comfortable win.

Roughyeds, however, regained possession with a short restart kick and completely dominated the rest of the game, scoring three converted tries in ten minutes to pull up to 26-22 with eight minutes left.

First, Zac Baker powered over wide out, then Sean Slater carved through the home side’s defensive wall to score direct from dummy half before Jordan Paga chased Martyn Ridyard’s last-tackle bomb, took it on the full under pressure and pulled out of a desperate tackle to score.

Ridyard converted all three to put Roughyeds only four points down.

They were in the ascendancy, on a roll and looked to have a good chance of nicking it, but time ran out on them as they hurriedly tried to form a scrum on the Doncaster line with head and feed to come.

Dual-reg centre Iain Thornley, from Wigan, scored the other Oldham try midway through the first half, but then dropped the ball in the act of touching down for his and Oldham’s second try as half-time approached.

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.