Workington Town 16, Oldham 28

Another frustrating afternoon for Town coaches Gary Charlton and Martin Oglanby produced only a bonus point at Derwent Park.

Yet for the opening 25 minutes Workington had dominated the game and were full value for a 10-0 lead.

The ferocity of their challenge had Oldham in trouble as the Roughyeds clearly looked in shock following their heavy home defeat by Hunslet seven days earlier.

There was just no co-ordination, method or heart about their performance as Town dominated in all areas.

So where did it all go wrong for the west Cumbrians? From being so much in control how could they end up scrambling to earn just a bonus point?

Well clearly they didn’t score enough points when they were calling the shots; they weren’t helped by a stop-start game of 26 penalties and they were undone by three of Oldham’s substitutes.

Danny Whitmore arrived on 19 minutes when hooker Martin Roden went-off and proceeded to guide Oldham around the park in an influential display which earned him the Ike Southward Memorial Man of the Match award.

Beefy pack interchanges Dave Ellison and Luke Sutton also started to give Oldham some go-forward on the back of Whitmore’s guidance and the game started to turn.

Town didn’t have the necessary impact from the bench after strong work from Ryan McDonald and Kris Coward had marked their opening quarter.

The confidence, so badly affected by that 60-point home hammering, seemed to return as soon as they got on the score-sheet and Oldham sensed they could turn the game round.

It had all started so well for Town when they took the lead on only three minutes. The Oldham defence was sloppy when Andrew Beattie charged on from a tap penalty and was able to put Mike Backhouse in at the corner for an unconverted try.

Subsequent defence was frantic and more solid from Oldham when Town twice went close to increasing their lead before they did score again on 24 minutes.

A clever little kick from Daren Holt wasn’t covered by he Oldham defenders and Jarrad Stack shot through to get on the end of it.

But cue Whitmore and gradually, from a position of strength Workington found themselves on the ropes as the Roughyeds turned a 10-0 deficit into an 18-10 interval lead with three tries in the space of eight minutes.

On 31 minutes Whitmore provided the perfect flat pass for Jason Boults to collect and stretch out over the line to score. Matty Ashe landed the first of his four conversions.

Although Town twice established good attacking positions they were denied by interceptions and on 35 minutes Oldham took the lead. Kit was a similar score to the first but this time it was Ellison who forced his way over from close range.

Worse was to come, however. Ex-Whitehaven half-back Gregg McNally put in a clever grubber and Mick Fogerty came racing trough to dive over for the sore.

Workington’s error count and penalty count continued after the break when Oldham were first to go close as McNally was brought back for a forward pass after racing over under the sticks.

Oldham virtually rapped-up the game with two tries in the space f three minutes.

After 63 minutes Fogerty got his second score after good work near the line by Whitmore and then full-back Paul O’Connor dived in under the posts following strong driving by Boults.

Fortunately Town were still able to rouse themselves to stage a recovery which earned them a bonus point.

Jamie Marshall was the one who went in from a play-the-ball near the Oldham line and Scott Kaighan’s conversion gave Town the bonus point.
STAR MAN: Mike Whitehead, lots of good work with the ball in hand and defensively. Worked hard throughout.

Town: Carter, Backhouse, Beattie, Low, Frazer, Finch, Kaighan, McDonald, Holt, Coward, Whitehead, Stack, Coupar. Subs (all used) Marshall, Robinson, Rhodes, Campbell.

Referee: Matthew Kidd

Crowd: 581

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