Match Report – Swinton Lions 22-22 Oldham

09 August 2021

Both teams went home with a point each in this pulsating end to end game which Swinton almost stole at the end.

Oldham made the brighter start and Dan Abram almost got Danny Bridge over on the first attack, but the ball went to ground. They then lost Liam Kirk to a head injury who didn’t return to the field and likewise the Lions lost Owen Buckley who appeared to catch a stray boot in the tackle.

Oldham started to turn the screw as the half wore on and some poor tackling allowed Tyler Dupree to break the line and score under the posts with Dan Abram converting which was quickly followed by Bridge going over but this was brought back for a forward pass.

The Lions had a glorious chance on twenty-six minutes but a final pass to Mike Butt failed to find the flyer and the ball went into touch. Within a minute Oldham scored again when Dupree broke tackles again to score by the posts and Abram converted. It was the Lions who made the stronger finish to the half forcing a goal line drop out and some handling errors, but they could not capitalise.

It was a bad start to the second half for the Lions when they lost Jack Hansen to a back injury in the first minute and he did not return so the team had to re-shuffle. This seemed to work instantly, and it was Martyn Ridyard who sent out a lovely short pass that Lewis Hatton came on too nicely to score under the posts with Ridyard converting. However, from the restart Oldham forced the Lions into a goal line drop out and Lloyd Roby finished off a nice move to score in the left corner, but Abram missed the conversion.

The Lions were not for lying down and Hatton went over for a second on fifty-three minutes after a nice pass from Sam Brooks and this time Nick Gregson converted. Within nine minutes Swinton were in the lead when Ridyard, Will Hope and Mitch Cox all combined to send Butt in at the corner and Ridyard added a superb kick from the touchline.

Dupree was held up by the Lions defence fourteen minutes from time and from the close play the ball Lewis Charnock put in a short kick to the line and James Barran won the race to score to the right of the posts with Abram converting to give Oldham back the lead.

Again it was the Lions who came alive in the final ten minutes and they had a few chances on the line before Dupree was sent to the sin-bin for a shoulder charge. With four minutes to go and from the penalty pressure the Lions threw the ball around and it was Ridyard and Rhodri Lloyd who combined to send part time winger Deane Meadows over on the right to level the scores but the conversion from Ridyard just sailed to the right of the posts. It was all down to the last minute and Oldham had a glorious chance to snatch the game in the dying seconds but the drop goal attempt from Barran sailed wide.

LIONS

22 Geronimo Doyle

37 Owen Buckley

3 Mitch Cox

11 Rhodri Lloyd

1 Mike Butt

6 Martyn Ridyard

7 Jack Hansen

16 Paddy Jones

9 Luke Waterworth

10 Lewis Hatton

12 Nick Gregson

15 Louis Brogan

13 Will Hope

Subs (all used)

8 Sam Brooks

40 Ronan Michael

24 Paul Nash

19 Deane Meadows

Tries: Hatton (44,53), Butt (21), Meadows (38)

Goals: Ridyard 2/3 Gregson 1/1

OLDHAM

1 Dan Abram

2 Tommy Brierley

28 Joe Hartley

24 Max Roberts

5 Ryan Ince

6 Lewis Charnock

26 James Barron

16 Tyler Dupree

33 Jamie Abram

17 Liam Kirk

11 Danny Langtree

21 Shaun Pick

25 Danny Bridge

Subs (all used)

29 Lloyd Roby

13 Martyn Reilly

12 Liam Bent

15 Luke Nelmes

Tries: Dupree (19,27), Roby (48), Barran (67)

Goals: D.Abram ¾