OLDHAM 12 WIDNES VIKINGS 18
KASEY SMITH, Bower Fold, Stalybridge, Friday

WIDNES edged out Oldham in a closely fought contest, with the Vikings prevailing thanks to a resilient defensive display in the second half.

Oldham were ultimately made to pay for a costly error, just after the break, with Widnes scoring after Roughyeds failed to find touch from a penalty in their own half.

The Vikings did the basics right, whereas Oldham could not keep hold of the ball when in good field position and simply did not have enough opportunities in the second half to do enough damage.

The game was put to bed in the final minutes when Oldham were caught offside, resulting in a Ryan Ince try in the corner and giving Widnes their first win over the Roughyeds since 2021.

There was little to separate the sides early on, and for most of the game, but an Oldham knock-on and subsequent penalty given away allowed Jordan Abdull to give Widnes a 2-0 lead with his successful kick.

Widnes had dominated territory, but their chief playmaker Abdull endured a frustrating first half, with little sticking for the visitors until just before the break.

The Vikings lacked a clinical edge, repeatedly denied by a determined and well-organised Roughyeds defence, which until then had not conceded a point on ‘home’ turf in two matches in Stalybridge this season.

Widnes’ two-point lead was short-lived as Brad Day marked his debut with a try, capitalising on a sharp line break from Josh Drinkwater that forced the Widnes defence to scramble desperately to halt his charge. Caught out of position, they had no answer as the former Featherstone and Halifax man powered over the line, converted by Kieran Dixon.

But Day’s debut was short-lived with him forced off following a huge collision and failing his head-injury assessment.

Widnes drew level on the stroke of half-time as Abdull’s persistence with the boot finally paid off. His perfectly-weighted grubber skidded through the line and into Ryan Ince, who gathered cleanly in the corner and grounded with ease.

Abdull then slotted the conversion to hand Widnes a narrow 8-6 lead at the interval.

Oldham had a chance to strike back, just before the hooter rang, when Jaron Purcell burst clear in front of the post. But the Vikings were spared when referee Tara Jones ruled held up, prompting a collective sigh of relief heading into the break.

The Roughyeds endured a nightmare start to the second half when Drinkwater failed to find touch having just earned a penalty. The error proved costly, as Gilmore threaded a clever kick through and Matty Fleming reacted quickest to touch down, stretching the lead to two scores.

Oldham had struggled to carve out any meaningful opportunities in the second half. Their frustration was epitomised by Cole Geyer, who, just metres from the line, feinted left and right in search of an opening before being swallowed up by the defence.

But they sparked into life just after the hour mark, with Drinkwater and Jack Walker combining brilliantly. The fullback perfectly-delayed his pass, drawing the defence and carving out the space for Dixon to dive over, trimming Widnes’ advantage to just two points.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it exchange between Drinkwater and Matty Ashurst then saw Walker surge away, but it was too quick as he spilled the ball and Widnes held on.

Oldham huffed and puffed, but Widnes stayed composed. A second try by Ryan Ince sealed the win, sending the vocal Vikings contingent behind the posts home ecstatic.

GAMESTAR: Jordan Abdull mastered the fundamentals of his game and stayed resilient even when his plays didn’t initially succeed, as he ultimately reaped the rewards.

GAMEBREAKER: Ryan Ince’s try late on killed off any hopes of a Roughyeds winner.

MATCHFACTS

OLDHAM
1 Jack Walker
21 Tom Nisbet
5 Jake Bibby
4 Ben Davies
2 Kieran Dixon
6 Morgan Smith
23 Josh Drinkwater
8 Jack Ormondroyd
9 Matty Wildie
10 Owen Farnworth
11 Matty Ashurst
26 Brad Day
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
14 Cole Geyer
15 Ted Chapelhow
18 Jaron Purcell
17 Emmanuel Waine

Tries: Day (18), Dixon (62)
Goals: Dixon 2/2

VIKINGS
23 Nathan Connell
2 Mike Butt
1 Matt Fleming
4 Joe Edge
5 Ryan Ince
22 Jordan Abdull
7 Tom Gilmore
8 Dan Murray
9 Jordan Johnstone
21 Jay Chapelhow
12 Max Roberts
16 Danny Langtree
13 Nick Gregson
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Fozard
15 Lewis Hall
18 Morgan McWhirter
19 Adam Lawton

Tries: Ince (37, 77), Fleming (42)
Goals: Abdull 3/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-2, 6-2, 6-8; 6-14, 12-14, 12-18

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Oldham: Josh Drinkwater; Vikings: Jordan Abdull

Penalty count: 8-4
Half-time: 6-8
Referee: Tara Jones
Attendance: 1,527