
With neither side having played a game in the last 5 weeks, there was great enthusiasm amongst both players and spectators as table-topping Heaton Moor visited Oldham.
The first 25 minutes was a period of almost continuous Oldham pressure with Heaton Moor only making sporadic and brief visits to the Oldham half.
However, excellent defence and a lack of composure near the line after fine approach work saw scant reward for the pressure and a single penalty goal by Alex Jobson was all Oldham had to show. The last 15 minutes of the half saw a complete turnaround and it was Oldham's turn to defend, but showing excellent determination and discipline they kept the visitors at bay.
Half-time 3-0 and all to play for.
The first try came in the 60th minute when Stuart Brennan, after a series of scrums in "cemetery corner" broke and, despite being held up in a 2 man tackle, managed to slip the ball to fellow back-rower Ryan Pickles who forced his way through a cluster of desperate defenders to score in the corner.
8-0 and another Jobson penalty success saw Oldham 11 points to the good.
Heaton Moor then introduced the talented Chris Ogden who for 2 decades has been a thorn in Oldham's side (and countless others too!) on his return after a long absence with injury.
Heaton Moor immediately upped their tempo, dominated possession and in the final 15 minutes, as Oldham were visibly tiring, giving away countless penalties and losing a man to the bin, saw good hands and a fine angle of running as the visitors crossed by the posts and reduced the deficit to 4.
Oldham continued to struggle but defended their line with passion. With less than a minute to play Moor got a penalty directly under the posts and only 5 metres from the line.
3 points were obviously of no use so they tapped and surged forward, but the ref who had an excellent game throughout, spotted that a fellow forward had bound on before the ball had been tapped and awarded Oldham a penalty. Oldham were saved. The penalty given saw the ball kicked into touch and the final whistle blown to the huge delight of the Oldham 18 and their loyal supporters.
Result: Oldham 11 Heaton Moor 7
Oldham coaches: Jimmy Forster, Bobby Cullen and Luke Roscoe were rewarded for their unstinting efforts in the most difficult of circumstances over the last 6 months. Unsurprisingly, they were reluctant to single out individuals but were unanimous in praising the best team performance of the season. I hope they enjoy a good week with big numbers at training and everyone available for selection for the tough league game next week at De La Salle.
Want more local sport stories?
Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.