Match Report

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Oldham RLFC
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Featherstone Rovers

13th Apr 2025

Kick Off 3.00pm

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Boundary Park, Oldham

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Match Report

Oldham made it four wins in a row to keep hold of second spot in the Betfred Championship as Iain Thornley's late try sealed a dramatic 30-28 win over Featherstone Rovers at Boundary Park.

Sean Long's side saw an early 12-4 lead turn into a 24-12 second-half deficit as Rovers went blow for blow with the Roughyeds before being outlasted...

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Lineups

ORLFC

Subs

18th Man

Featherstone Rovers

Aekins; Gale, O'Connor, Hatton, Wynne; Hampshire, Reynolds; Springer, Jubb, Beckett, Webb, Hardcastle, Addy

Subs

Jones, Stevens, Williams, Wilde

18th Man

Turner

Match Stats

Featherstone Rovers TRIES

Wynne x2, Hardcastle x2, Jones, O'Connor

Featherstone Rovers GOALS

Hampshire 0/2, Addy 2/4, Reynolds 0/1

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Oldham made it four wins in a row to keep hold of second spot in the Betfred Championship as Iain Thornley’s late try sealed a dramatic 30-28 win over Featherstone Rovers at Boundary Park.

Sean Long’s side saw an early 12-4 lead turn into a 24-12 second-half deficit as Rovers went blow for blow with the Roughyeds before being outlasted in a chaotic finish that saw Ben Reynolds miss a late touchline conversion and Ryan Hampshire miss a long-range penalty after the hooter to tie the scores.

“I’m quite emotional after that,” head coach Long told Roughyeds TV as he earned victory over his former club.

It was a little bit chaotic at times and big defensive plays from Jack Johnson and Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e won us the game.”

Long had demanded a faster start from his side with confidence oozing from wins over London, Sheffield and Barrow. But without injured hooker Matty Wildie, Oldham fell behind to Connor Wynne’s try in the corner. Fortunately for the home side, Ryan Hampshire, Danny Addy and Ben Reynolds all had an off day from the kicking tee.

The Roughyeds had been led out by their retiring prop forward Craig Kopczak, and hit the front when another front row Jay Chapelhow powered over after a smart ball steal from Johnson had Oldham on the front foot, Josh Drinkwater converting.

Dream Team star Nene Macdonald then helped himself to a first try in an Oldham shirt, Drinkwater’s inch-perfect kick on the last tackle giving the Papua New Guinea flyer the easiest of chances to catch and score.

But from 12-4 down Paul Cooke’s Featherstone took control. Josh Hardcastle touched down to reduce the arrears, before Wynne finished off a delightful floated Reynolds pass in the corner to tie the scores. Crucially Rovers missed all three kicks at goal.

Hooker Conor Jones then chased down a kick through to score a terrific try before the interval, Addy finally adding a kick for an 18-14 half-time lead.

Rovers scored another just after half-time as they sensed victory, Bailey O’Connor touching down Jones’ kick through on the last as the visitors led 24-12.

But what a response from Oldham. Macdonald thought he has a second but was ruled to have been in touch as he finished acrobatically in the corner, before captain Jordan Turner powered over. Drinkwater converted expertly to bring the hosts back to within six.

Johnson then finished a flowing move that he had started, taking Thornley’s pass in the right corner as Drinkwater levelled the scores, but there was more drama to come.

Wynne throught he had a hat-trick but was brilliantly denied by Johnson into touch, before a flashpoint saw Rovers’ France international prop Gadwin Springer sent off for a huge shot that ended George Hirst’s game. Oldham advanced up field from the penalty, and Drinkwater’s high kick on the last was plucked out of the sky by Thornley to win the match.

Drinkwater’s conversion put Oldham six clear but there was still time for more chaos. Drinkwater missed a drop goal for a seven-point lead and Featherstone pounced at the other end, Reynolds’ high kick knocked on by Macdonald and finished by Hardcastle in the corner for his second. That left a touchline conversion for Reynolds to tie the scores – he missed – but Fev would have one more chance with a penalty on the final hooter. From inside his own half however, Hampshire’s kick had the distance but not the direction, pushing it wide to hand Oldham a thrilling win.

“I think the half-time hooter came at the right time for us,” Long added.

Our discipline was quite poor in the first 20 minutes, with a lot of errors which put them on the front foot.

We felt we could have done it against 13, we had the ascendency, but we were quite calm and Drinkwater kicked the kicks. I am made up for the win.”

Finding a way to win games like this, when not at their best against seasoned Championship teams, underline the huge strides forward being made by this exciting Oldham team.

The draw for the 1895 Cup semi-finals before kick-off threw up another home tie with Featherstone, as Oldham also look to reach Wembley for the first time in their history.

Before that though are too huge Friday games, away to Widnes on Good Friday next week before a mouth-watering game under the Boundary Park lights against former Super League champions Bradford Bulls. What a time to be an Oldham fan.

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