OKAY, we didn't win at York, but most fans who watched on OuRLeague will surely agree it was a far better performance and one in which the score, 34-6, did not reflect the balance of play or the amount of effort and sheer determination we put in.
The turning point — the decisive moment — came a few minutes before half-time.
The scores were locked at 6-6 and we were certainly playing as well as York, if not better. If anything, more of the first half was played in the York half of the field than in Oldham’s half.
In fact, we were attacking strongly when the sending off made all the difference.
On a Langers’ last-tackle chip, the ball bounced kindly for home centre Tyme Dow-Nikau, who picked up at speed. He was accelerating away, but referee Neil Bennett didn’t like Tom Nisbet’s challenge and off he went.
We still caused the Knights problems either side of half-time, but eventually the fact that we were down to 12 men, coupled with the positional changes which had to be made when Dan Abram moved to full-back, proved an obstacle too far.
It would have been interesting to see how the second half would have turned out had it been 13 v 13.
Three players returned to the side, Danny Bridge, Liam Kirk (complete with head guard) and Tyler Dupree and there were debuts for on-loan Nisbet at full-back and young Jamie Abram on the bench.
There was still no Lewis Charnock and to compound problems in that decision-making department surrounding half-back and play-the-ball, club captain Gareth Owen was also out with an infection.
Danny Langtree captained the side; Dan Abram and Dave Hewitt, old pals from Saints days, were half-back partners; and Dec Gregory got his first start at hooker with Jamie Abram on the bench as replacement hooker.
When Tom Nisbet was given his marching orders, Dan Abram went to full-back, thus further disrupting what was happening at half-back and at the back of the ruck.
Despite all this, we matched York all the way until Tom was dismissed with real effort and determination.
In a big team performance, there were eye-catching individual performances from such as Nisbet, before his dismissal, Max Roberts and Ryan Ince in the backs and Luke Nelmes. Danny Langtree, Liam Bent, Martyn Reilly, Matthew Fletcher and Tyler Dupree in the forwards.
The forwards more than punched their weight against York forwards of the calibre of Jordan Baldwinson, Sam Scott, Chris Clarkson and Adam Cuthbertson.
Martyn Reilly bust them open time and again; Matthew Fletcher stunned them more than once with his powerful surges; and Luke Nelmes, Danny Langtree and Tyler Dupree were all stopped on the line.
Winger Ryan Ince had a flying touchdown in the corner disallowed as well, but there was no denying big Shaun Pick after quarter of an hour when he got over for a try which Dan Abram converted.
It wasn’t long before the Knights equalised with a try by Will Jubb, converted by Kieran Dixon, who was easily York’s most dangerous player from start to finish.
Roughyeds still did brilliantly to stay in the game with a man short until the middle of the second half when fatigue started to tell; mistakes began to be made for the first time; and York moved away with four tries in quarter of an hour.
Scorers: York – goals, K Dixon 5/6; tries - Jubb (2), K Dixon, Dean, Marsh, Clarkson; Oldham – goal, D Abram’ try, Pick.
YORK: Lewis; Jones-Bishop, Dow-Nikau, Atkins, K Dixon; Marsh, Dean; Baldwinson, Jubb, Green, McDonnell, Scott, Clarkson. Subs: Brining, R Dixon, Stock, Cuthbertson
OLDHAM: Nisbet; Brierley, Bridge, Roberts, Ince; D Abram, Hewitt; Kirk, Gregory, Nelmes, Pick, Langtree, Bent. Subs: J Abram, Reilly, Fletcher, Dupree.
Referee: N Bennett
