Ashurst ensures Roughyeds defeat Salford

Matty Ashurst scored his second hat-trick of the season as Oldham came from behind to beat Salford 36-28.

Roughyeds struggled to replicate last week’s heroics against full-time London Broncos, but once again found a way to win in an error-strewn contest.

The second-rower proved the difference, repeatedly putting himself in dangerous positions before crossing three times to ensure Oldham avoided an upset.

Both sides wasted chances, with Oldham and Salford completing at less than 70 per cent in the second half.

However scrappy the contest, the result secured Oldham’s first league double over Salford since the 1994/95 season.

Salford, with the likes of Declan Murphy, Kieran Dixon and Toby Hughes now in their ranks, are a very different proposition to the side which suffered a 44-0 defeat to Oldham in the reverse fixture.

And that was evident early on when a loose Morgan Smith pass, which went behind its intended recipient, was pounced upon by Joe Hartley, who opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes.

The lead did not last long, though, as Luke Forber brought Oldham level after a Jack Walker break.

Salford responded almost immediately. Their short kick restart allowed them to regain possession – the first of three occasions on which they would do so – and Charlie Glover powered over from close range.

Kieran Dixon marked his return to Boundary Park by grabbing Salford’s third, using his burst of pace to beat the defence and squeeze over to put the visitors two scores clear.
Tom Nisbet then produced a crucial tackle to deny Salford another try before his next involvement prevented a penalty from finding touch. The reward, in the following set, was Matty Ashurst’s first try of the afternoon.

Back-to-back penalties in front of the posts handed Roughyeds the chance to take the lead, and Ashurst again proved unstoppable from close range.

Bayley Liu then extended Oldham’s advantage after Roughyeds caught Salford off guard with a quick play-the-ball, powering over to score.

But Salford hit back once more, with the short restart paying off before Baldwin found a way through a sea of Oldham shirts to score.

A sublime pass from Josh Drinkwater then sent Ashurst over for his third – and crucial – try with ten minutes remaining. Until that point, Oldham were clinging to a two-score lead, with the veteran providing some much-needed breathing room.

The tension boiled over soon after, as both sides had to be separated following a flashpoint involving Bayley Liu and Declan Murphy. The outcome was yellow cards for both Nisbet and Murphy.

Salford were awarded the resulting penalty and, given the field position, made it count as Corey-Jay Sharpe crossed to set up a nervy finish.

There would be no dramatic comeback, though, as Brad Day’s try on the hooter sealed the win for Oldham, with Liu subsequently shown yellow for another incident after the try.

Roughyeds now head to the Crown Oil Arena for another local derby against Rochdale, with a big performance and victory their aim ahead of the knockouts.