ROUGHYEDS secured qualification to the quarter-finals of the 1895 Cup, thanks to a rip-roaring first half performance where Oldham ran in five tries to Rochdale’s nil.
In front of a crowd of 1,661 – Oldham’s highest home attendance in a game against Rochdale since April 2003 – Oldham, who were unchanged from the Barrow game, were simply too strong for Gary Thornton’s side.
With several key Rochdale men rested – Martyn Ridyard, Joe Hartley, Dan Nixon were all missing – there was a feeling, before the game, of a foregone conclusion.
It was a poor start from Rochdale who booted the ball out on the full from the very first kick of the game, and then again after conceding a try inside five minutes.
Lewis Else was Hornets’ main attacking threat, but he could not make enough of a dent in the Roughyeds defence who kept Rochdale scoreless in the first forty.
Craig Kopczak was held up in one of Oldham’s first attacks, before Jordan Turner got the first try of the game when he powered his way through the leaky Rochdale defence.
Turner, incidentally, was a big threat for Oldham with him regularly breaking through the Rochdale defensive line.
Another kick out on the full, from the restart, by Flanagan provided the platform for Danny Craven to crash his way over from close range to double Oldham’s score after ten minutes.
Rochdale bit back after an Else kick forced a drop-out, but a spilled ball in the subsequent set meant the danger was averted.
Oldham got their third try after a terrific Logan Astley run, and delayed pass out wide, which allowed Jack Johnson the space to run in on the left wing, which made the score 14-0 after a Jamie Ellis conversion.
With Rochdale having to sustain huge swathes of Oldham pressure, they folded again under the power of the towering Adam Lawton who forced his way through to score.
Astley got in on the act, shortly after, when he grounded the ball for a try as Rochdale were attempting to wrap him up over the line.
But Rochdale came out firing in the second half, much like they did last week against Midlands, with Jordan Andrade finding a gap amidst four Oldham tacklers on the line to score a try two minutes after the break.
A bulldozing run under the posts by Ted Chapelhow restored Oldham’s advantage, shortly after, but Rochdale persevered.
Else put an inviting kick towards the posts which Bailey Aldridge could only spill, and Kenny Baker took full advantage as he picked up the loose ball to score under the sticks.
Rochdale were looking for more, but Mo Agoro stopped any chance of a comeback when he pounced on a Rochdale loose ball to score another length of the field try.
Oldham could have had more after another Turner line break set Lawton away, but Craven failed the ground the kick to the posts, with Rochdale let off.
This afternoon’s win means Oldham will now travel to York in the quarter-finals of the 1895 Cup on the weekend of March 2-3.
Scorers:
Oldham: goals, Ellis 5/7; tries, Turner, Craven, Johnson, Lawton, Astley, T.Chapelhow, Agoro
Rochdale: goals, Rudd 2/2; tries, Andrade, Baker
Sin Bin: Adam Lawton
Teams:
OLDHAM: Astley; Johnson, Turner, O’Keefe, Agoro; Craven, Ellis; Kopczak, Wildie, J.Chapelhow, Lawton, Taylor. Subs: Aldridge, Farnworth, T.Chapelhow, Moran (all used). 18th Man: Morgan
ROCHDALE: Flanagan; Brierley, Coope-Franklin, Harrop, Hughes; Else, Rudd; Killan, Huish, Nelmes, Meadows, Forster, Brannan. Subs: Wilkinson, Andrade, Baker, Dayes (all used). 18th Man: Hartley
Referee: Kevin Moore; HT: 26-0; Pens: 9-7; Att: 1,661
