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.

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