Oldham seal top-four spot with dogged Doncaster win

Oldham produced another resilient performance to down a determined Doncaster 13-12 in a Boundary Park thriller to ensure a top-four finish heading into the Betfred Championship playoffs.

Just 12 months after clinching the League 1 title, Sean Long's men will wrap up their regular season at Featherstone next weekend in the knowledge that there will then be a home playoff, after a determined victory in front of a crowd of almost 2,500 thanks to tries from Phoenix Laulu-Togagae and Josh Drinkwater, plus a decisive Ryan Brierley drop goal.

"The last few weeks have felt like playoffs and this game did too," head coach Sean Long told Roughyeds TV.

"You get battle-hardened and as a player you learn how to win tight games".

Long recalled Ryan Lannon and handed a debut to Matty Foster, with experienced back row forwards Elijah Taylor and Matty Ashurst both missing, while Phoenix again got the nod on the wing ahead of Kieran Dixon.

And Roughyeds scored from the first foray into Doncaster territory, when a Brierley grubber ricocheted into the path of PLT to touch down, Drinkwater off target with the kick but Oldham led 4-0 early on.

Doncaster bombed a huge chance when Brad Hey broke clear down the left but with the line at his mercy inexplicably opted to pass rather than score himself, and the ball was ruled forward - a massive reprieve for Oldham.

The Dons enjoyed big spells of possession before half-time and hit back when the dangerous Edene Gebbie waltzed through a gap to level, Connor Robinson adding the extras for a 6-4 lead.

A Drinkwater penalty nudged the home side back level and it remained locked at 6-6 as the half-time hooter sounded. The second half brought more spirit from Doncaster and plenty of problems for Oldham, but the defence stood firm.

Then came the key moment. Adam Milner put PLT through a gap with a smart pass on half-way and a lightning break ripped the Dons to pieces, Drinkwater in support to score under the posts, converting his own try for a 12-6 lead.

That should have been that but the visitors kept going. Brierley slotted over a drop goal on the last tackle for a bit of breathing room, and that proved even more valuable when Gebbie finished off a Craig Hall break to pull Doncaster back within one point.

Crucially though Oldham stood firm, to secure victory by a single score for the third game in a row.

"We were really good, that game was outstanding," said Long,

Our game-management won it for us - we turned the ball over on our terms in greasy conditions. And we showed resilience in D. I would sooner win a game 13-12 than 40 points to 30.

That shows we are ready for semi-final footy as this is what happens in semi-finals. The lads are ready for it, we are in a good spot.

When the game was in the balance and we needed a try, our leaders like Matty Wildie, Adam Milner and Drinky stepped up with that bit of stardust.

It has been a massive effort and I felt that we would get in the top four this season. Others probably thought we would be mid-table but I had belief in these players that we could come up with something special and we haven't finished yet.

The Championship is a different beast and our fans have been on this mad journey with us so I want to thank them for everything they have done for us. We really appreciate the support and we probably need it even more now."

Oldham are producing playoff performances at just the right time, without yet hitting the exhilarating top level that this talented team is capable. But make no mistake, this is a team that means business heading into the fun part of the season.

Featherstone away next Sunday is followed by a week off, before a home playoff tie at Boundary Park.