Oldham brush aside Widnes Vikings with big win

Oldham kept their remarkable winning streak going after dispatching an in-form Widnes Vikings side 28-10.

Roughyeds secured a 12th straight league win, their best run of results since 1990, and moved further clear of Widnes in the Betfred Championship.

Allan Coleman's men had not conceded a point in over two and a half hours of rugby and came into the game on a run of six straight victories.

Despite Widnes having not lost at home thus far, it was a game in which Oldham always seemed to be in control after taking the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.

There were some almighty efforts on the Roughyeds' goal-line to deny several well-orchestrated Widnes attacks, with the Vikings boasting former Super League Dream Team half-back Danny Richardson among their ranks.

Opening the scoring was Ben Davies, who leapt high to pluck Josh Drinkwater's kick out of the air, as he so often does, before touching down beneath the posts.

Widnes forced two goal-line drop-outs but found no way through the stubborn and determined Oldham defence.

The game was being played on Oldham's terms, with the Roughyeds repeatedly forcing turnovers on the Widnes goal-line.

Just before the break, some slick footwork from Jack Walker saw him dance past several Vikings defenders to put his side 12-0 up.

Widnes came out fired up after the break and were soon on the scoreboard. Having been denied by the hand of Tom Nisbet moments earlier, they went over straight from the resulting scrum when Matty Fozard sprinted over.

But the momentum did not stay with Widnes for long. A strong carry from Bayley Liu laid the platform for Warrington loanee Ben Hartill to scamper through from dummy-half and score.

Taking advantage of some Widnes indiscipline, Morgan Smith nudged over a penalty to put Oldham three scores in front.

And when Luke Forber grabbed one in the corner with one of his trademark acrobatic finishes, the Roughyeds were firmly in the driving seat.

Widnes pulled one back through Fleming in the corner, but too often they were found wanting in the final third, with Oldham having all the answers.

Putting the cherry on the cake was Tom Nisbet, who scored in similar fashion to his try against Batley, collecting Smith's high kick before sprinting over to seal a big win in Widnes.