Oldham let slip big lead against promotion rivals

Roughyeds boss Stuart Littler. Image courtesy of ORLFC

Oldham RLFC lost more than its unbeaten home record yesterday (Sunday).

The team conceded 22 unanswered points in the second-half against second-placed Doncaster to go down 28-22 after looking certain winners when leading 22-6 early in the second half.

In a similar home performance against top-of-the table Dewsbury Rams a month ago, Roughyeds led 24-14 before losing their way and ending up with a 26-26 draw.

In each of these top-three promotion battles, Oldham were pipped at the post, Dewsbury going into a 26-24 lead with three minutes left and Doncaster snatching the lead for the first time since early in the game with only five minutes left.

“Despite these disappointment, this club is going places. We live to fight another day, starting at Dewsbury, no less, on Friday night,” said vice-president John Chadwick.

“You can’t make as many mistakes as we did against a club like Doncaster. You can only defend so many errors,” commented champagne-moment winner Matty Wilkinson, whose brilliant solo try in the 43rd minute, goaled by Martyn Ridyard, put Roughyeds into a 16-point lead.

“We win as a group, we lose as a group,” said coach Stuart Littler.

“The boys know why we lost - we made far too many errors.”

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