Match report: Fleetwood RUFC 38 Oldham RUFC 18

Oldham RUFC made the long trip up a congested M61 to Fleetwood for a rescheduled fixture in their second ADM Major Conference clash.

A fixture with a fiery recent history, Oldham had come away victors earlier in the season, with only a last-play drop goal from Alex Jobson separating the two sides on that occasion. The Manor Park side travelled to Fleetwood brimming with confidence after a fine victory against Bury the previous week. As ever, a few last-minute squad changes saw youngsters Harvey Ward and Jenson Connell earn their place in the squad alongside seasoned second rower Simon Renshaw.

Oldham came firing out of the blocks and began playing with the same confidence and cohesion that had proved so successful the week before. Strong carries from dependable back row forwards Josh Semple, Tom Jowle and Isaac Dobbs provided an early platform, asking questions of the Fleetwood defence. Early on, skipper Tom Davies pinned the home side deep in their own half, with wingers James Edwards and Reece Blakeley chasing well to further compile the pressure.

Eventually the continued pressure paid dividends for the visitors. Swift hands through Davies and Alex Jobson released Louis Fitton, who carved through the defence to score a well-deserved try in the corner. Jobson narrowly missed the extras.

Fleetwood 0–5 Oldham.

A perfect start was followed by some tremendous defence led by Paul Wardle, Luke Ferrier and Dobbs. However, if Oldham thought they were going to have things all their own way they were sadly mistaken. Fleetwood responded with a well-worked try of their own, orchestrated by their fly-half who was involved in almost every phase of play. The conversion was missed, bringing the scores level.

Fleetwood 5–5 Oldham.

The home side were now playing with confidence of their own, but the Oldham defence once again frustrated Fleetwood and forced a handling error. At the resulting scrum the Oldham pack turned the screw, with Wardle, Chris Shaw and Marshall Yates gaining the upper hand. As the scrum nudged forward Oldham were awarded a penalty for a technical offence, which also resulted in a yellow card for the Fleetwood loose forward.

Jobson opted to take a shot at goal and converted with ease.

Fleetwood 5–8 Oldham.

Even with Fleetwood reduced to 14 men, Oldham maintained their composure and continued to play with the same structure that had served them well.

Further powerful carries from Greg Higgins, Semple and Dobbs once again led the way, providing quick ball for scrum-half Lewis Ward, who controlled the tempo of the game well in the opening stages.

Once again quick hands through Jobson, Fitton and Connell had the home side scrambling. Quick thinking from Davies almost paid off when a clever kick to the corner saw Blakeley win the race to the ball, only for an awkward bounce to deny him close to the line. Fortunately for Oldham, play was brought back for another penalty and Jobson stepped up to add three more points from the tee.

Fleetwood 5–11 Oldham.

Oldham had been on the end of some heavy defeats away at the Seasiders in the past, but this performance suggested things might be different. If victory was to be secured, however, the men in the red and white hoops would need to continue defending as they had done so far.

Fleetwood, refusing to lie down, began building pressure of their own through some strong carries. A moment of madness soon followed when the returning Fleetwood number eight carried strongly before lunging with his head towards Yates during the tackle. The referee had little choice but to issue a red card.

Oldham opted to kick long from the penalty to apply further pressure, but the resulting line-out was deemed not straight and Fleetwood were able to clear their lines.

In rugby, a sending off can often have one of two effects. It either gives the team with the extra player a clear advantage, or it galvanises the side that have lost a man.

Unfortunately for Oldham, it proved to be the latter as Fleetwood raised their intensity and began making inroads with ball in hand.

Oldham were then reduced to 14 men themselves when Blakeley received a yellow card for a high tackle following a break from the Fleetwood winger. Despite the defensive efforts of Dobbs, Davies and Jobson, the home side crashed over soon after when their powerful inside centre cut a line and charged over almost untouched. The conversion was successful, giving Fleetwood a narrow lead at the interval.

Half-time: Fleetwood 12–11 Oldham.

The message at half-time was simple: compose, regather and return to the structure that had worked so well earlier in the game. A change at the break saw Shaw make way for player-coach Jack Sayle, who entered the action looking to make an impact.

The second half began much as the first had ended, with Fleetwood on the front foot and full of energy from the restart. The home side soon extended their lead.

Fleetwood 22–11 Oldham.

Oldham, however, were not about to roll over and began building pressure of their own. With Ward and Davies dictating play and organising runners off the ball, Oldham worked their way deep into the Fleetwood 22 thanks to strong carries from Semple, Dobbs, Ferrier and Sayle.

It was back-rower Jowle who provided the breakthrough, using quick feet and sharp awareness to jink through the defence and score Oldham’s second try of the afternoon. Jobson added an excellent conversion from out wide.

Fleetwood 22–18 Oldham.

Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived as Fleetwood capitalised on a tiring Oldham side. Harvey Ward and Simon Renshaw were introduced to add fresh legs, but despite some standout defending from Dobbs, Jowle, Lewis Ward and Davies, Fleetwood proved too strong in the closing stages.

The home side ran in a further 16 unanswered points to close out the match.

Full-time: Fleetwood 38–18 Oldham.

The final score line somewhat flattered the hosts given Oldham’s strong first-half performance, but credit must go to Fleetwood who took their chances well when it mattered.

For Oldham, it is back to the drawing board, with some big defensive efforts required on the training field ahead of next week’s fixture.

Man of the Match could have gone either way. Dobbs produced a tremendous all-round display, but the nod went to young scrum-half Lewis Ward for his control of the game and what was arguably his best defensive performance in an Oldham shirt so far.