YORK KNIGHTS 24 OLDHAM 16
KASEY SMITH, LNER Community Stadium, Sunday
YORK struck twice in the closing stages to break the hearts of a determined Oldham side, edging past the spirited challengers for a twelfth straight league victory.
There was little to separate the two sides but when Oldham took the lead for the first time on the hour-mark it looked like the Roughyeds would be leaving Yorkshire with a shock win, but the Knights showed their title credentials to snatch a win late on.
A lot has changed since these two sides last met on the opening day with Oldham emerging with a shock 50-4 victory and perhaps that heavy defeat gave head coach Mark Applegarth exactly the insight he needed to refine his side — a team that has since surged to the top of the Championship.
York had all the momentum early on, with the Knights winning the battle for territory. Oldham didn’t help themselves, which has been a common theme this year, when Adam Milner’s pass to George Hirst went forward inside their own 20-metre line.
York seized the opportunity with Ben Jones-Bishop going over.
Oldham’s self-destructive habits continued as they lost possession deep in their own half from which the Knights capitalised again. It was Kieran Hudson who powered over, extending the lead to 10-0 following Dagger’s conversion.
But York were not without their own errors, and two consecutive penalties handed Oldham an ideal chance to strike back. Just as Oldham’s set seemed destined to fizzle out, George Hirst stepped up with a clever grubber kick near the line, sowing confusion in the Knights’ defence. Morgan Smith was perfectly positioned to capitalise, diving in to claw one back for Oldham.
The Roughyeds grew into the contest, cutting out their earlier errors to put York on the ropes as they appeared to be tiring towards the back end of the first half. Oldham produced several strong defensive sets, and forced the Knights to kick from deep within their own 30-metre line. However, they missed a golden opportunity to draw level when Drinkwater’s low kick under the posts had just too much weight behind it.
After the interval Oldham picked up where they had left off and after Laulu-Togaga’e forced a repeat set, they made the pressure count with George Hirst powering over from close range.
After what was a relentless contest with both sides trading blows, Dagger kicked a penalty when Oldham were guilty of an accidental offside with them scrambling to keep the Knights at bay.
The Roughyeds took the lead for the first time on the hour mark with a beautifully executed scrum play, capitalising on a Knights’ knock-on deep in their own 30-metre zone. Drinkwater timed his offload to perfection, holding it until the final moment to release Laulu-Togaga’e, who handed on to Dixon for the try.
The Knights, though, did not go away and threw an onslaught of pressure in Oldham’s direction.
They finally caved in with just ten minutes left on the clock when Jesse Dee powered over. Paul McShane took over the kicking duties and slotted the conversion for an 18-16 lead.
And Oldham’s hearts were broken when Oli Field flew past Mo Agoro to restore the Knight’s two-score lead late on as York showed their title credentials.
GAMESTAR: Paul McShane was the key to overturning the negative scoreline in the second 40.
GAMEBREAKER: The scrum-play that saw Oli Field go through finally broke Oldham.
MATCHFACTS
KNIGHTS
34 Ben Jones-Bishop
2 Joe Brown
3 Kieran Buchanan
20 Oli Field
35 Scott Galeano
1 Will Dagger
36 Toa Mata’afa
8 Jack Martin
9 Paul McShane
21 Conor Fitzsimmons
11 Jesse Dee
12 Connor Bailey
13 Jordan Thompson
Subs (all used)
14 Taylor Pemberton
10 Brenden Santi
31 Kieran Hudson
17 Mitch Clark
Tries: Jones-Bishop (12), Hudson (23), Dee (70), Field (74)
Goals: Dagger 2/3, McShane 2/2
OLDHAM
31 Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e
5 Mo Agoro
24 Ben O’Keefe
38 Ben Davies
2 Kieran Dixon
42 Morgan Smith
23 Josh Drinkwater
15 Jay Chapelhow
9 Matty Wildie
8 Gil Dudson
30 George Hirst
17 Elijah Taylor
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
40 Éloi Pélissier
10 Owen Farnworth
16 Pat Moran
21 Lewis Baxter
Tries: Smith (31), Hirst (46), Dixon (60)
Goals: Dixon 2/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 10-4; 10-10, 12-10, 12-16, 18-16, 24-16
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Knights: Paul McShane; Oldham: Owen Farnworth
Penalty count: 4-4
Half-time: 10-4
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas