HAVING lost twice in five days to the two teams above them in Betfred League One, Dewsbury Rams and Doncaster, Oldham Rugby League Club’s new board has conceded that the five-club play-off is now the most likely route for the Roughyeds to win promotion ahead of the club’s move back to Boundary Park next season.
Everything will hinge on the next two months with unbeaten table-toppers Dewsbury looking favourites to go up automatically; four clubs well positioned to finish in the play-offs and North Wales Crusaders and Rochdale Hornets battling it out for the fifth and final play-off spot.
If the top three win each of their remaining games, Dewsbury will finish with 35 points; Doncaster with 34; Oldham with 29 but the Rams go to Doncaster on the last day of the season and Oldham have still to meet four of their play-off rivals in Workington and North Wales Crusaders at home and Hunslet and derby rivals Rochdale away.
Oldham’s dream of going up automatically as champions has almost certainly been shattered by their 22-28 home loss to Doncaster last Sunday and their 20-8 defeat at Dewsbury last night.
The only team to take as point off Dewsbury with a 26-26 home draw last month, Oldham suffered a hammer blow last night when they conceded a converted try on the very last play of the first half, going in at half-time 18-4 down instead of the 12-4 which they undoubtedly deserved and which would have kept them in the game.
Despite lacking the cutting edge to turn a massive 12-4 penalty count to their advantage, Roughyeds scored the only try of the second half by left-wing Tommy Brierley to add to new winger Nick Rawsthorne’s first-half try on the right wing.
