Browse Sections

• Oldham Athletic FC
• Oldham Roughyeds'
• Local football
• Local cricket

Oldham 10 Doncaster 18

29/ 9/2008

THREE second-half tries saw the Roughyeds' promotion hopes turn into a nightmare as they lost a second consecutive Co-operative National League Two Grand Final.

Oldham had looked well set to avenge last year's defeat against Featherstone Rovers when they led 6-2 at half-time, only for Doncaster to emerge victorious thanks to tries from Chris Buttery, Luke Gale and Kyle Briggs.

OK, there was a strong doubt about the legality of Gale's try but Doncaster just about deserved the victory for their first-half defensive effort and greater cutting edge in the second half.

Facing the side which ended their 19-game winning streak at Boundary Park a fortnight earlier, Oldham could, and perhaps should, have built a decisive advantage by half-time.

With prop Adam Robinson having a terrific game, it was the Roughyeds who had by far the greater territorial dominance in the first half.

However, they were only able to score the one try and saw Mick Nanyn miss two kicks he might normally have been expected to convert.

Nanyn had given Oldham the lead with a ninth minute penalty, while on the few occasions that Doncaster got within range of the Oldham line, they repeatedly lost possession.

Oldham's play was rewarded six minutes before the break when Said Tamghart's excellent offload allowed Matty Brooks to break upfield.

The resultant play-the-ball saw Phil Joseph and James Coyle combine for the latter to find Ian Hodson for a try on the right-hand side.

Nanyn was unsuccessful with the conversion though and saw Doncaster benefit from his largesse as Gale landed a penalty with half-time approaching.

To keep Doncaster scoreless in the first half could have given Oldham a psychological advantage, but they were to shoot themselves in the foot four minutes into the second period.

Having won a penalty 40 metres out and in front of the posts, they elected to find touch rather than kick for goal which was to prove costly.

Coyle failed to find touch, Oldham were quickly adjudged offside from the restart and Doncaster gained good field position from which Buttery stormed through poor defence to touch down.

Gale's conversion put the Yorkshiremen 8-6 up before he put them further ahead five minutes later from close range.

Trying to dive over dummy-half, he appeared to be held short of the line by Paul O'Connor, only for the video ref to decider otherwise after an interminable delay caused by numerous replays.

Gale's conversion put daylight between the teams at 14-6, only for Oldham to set up a tense final 18 minutes when Nanyn stretched his way over.

Try as they might, the Roughyeds could not haul themselves level and conceded the decisive try with seven minutes left.

Close to the Oldham line, Doncaster worked the ball from right to left where Briggs dived over despite a last-ditch attempted tackle from Marcus St Hilaire.

Although Gale shanked his attempted conversion, it mattered little as the Doncaster fans were left celebrating promotion and Oldham another year in the third tier of rugby league.