ROUGHYEDS clinched the title in spectacular fashion, securing their seventh shutout victory of the season – a feat unmatched in the league for over a century – by dominating Workington with a decisive 56-0 win, writes Kasey Smith.

The defensive record dates back to the 1910/11 season when Oldham were crowned the Northern Union champions with a total of nine wins to nil.

A near 3,000 crowd, an attendance figure not seen in nearly 20 years, saw Oldham lift the title after losing just one game all season.

After clinching the title, when Oldham overcame Keighley earlier in August, Roughyeds could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas – but if anything, they’ve grown stronger since then.

Kieran Dixon set the ball rolling when he grounded Danny Craven’s brilliant low-driven cross-field kick to put Oldham 4-0 up early on.

Workington had a chance to respond after earning a repeat set near the Oldham goal-line and Zarrin Galea would have been in but for the charging Mo Agoro who produced a huge shot that knocked the full-back on his backside to snuff out the threat.

Craven was heavily involved in Oldham’s second after he, from dummy half, feigned a pass to the left before opting to go right where Adam Lawton was waiting to power over and double the score.

And Matty Wildie took full advantage, after JJ Key was not square at the play-the-ball, which allowed the Oldham hooker to sneak through as he sidestepped both Key and the late retreating Galea to score under the posts.

Captain Jordan Turner got the fourth after powering through, off the back of a Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e lay-off pass.

Immediately after, Dixon – carrying on the second tackle inside his own ten metre line – wriggled free of a weak Matty Henson tackle to dart up to halfway before offloading to the supporting Laulu-Togaga’e who finished off under the posts.

Craven, after assisting two already, got one of his own when he produced his trademark show-and-go – which he had attempted several times in the game – to ground and score.

Town could not stop Oldham’s second half onslaught and another cross-field Craven kick paid off for Kieran Dixon as he grabbed another – an almost carbon copy of his first.

The next try was Oldham at their unstructured best. Dixon skilfully dabbed the ball into Laulu-Togaga’e’s path who delivered a slick backward offload to Turner for his second try. Workington were bewildered.

Then replacement half-back Logan Astley toyed with the Workington defenders, ducking left and right to skip through the line and score under the posts.

And it was Astley’s kick which earned Joe Wardle a try just minutes from time.

Boundary Park erupted as Jordan Turner lifted the League One trophy, marking what is hoped to be the beginning of the Roughyeds’ resurgence.

Scorers:

Oldham: goals, Dixon 8/10; tries, Dixon x2, Lawton, Wildie, Turner x2, Laulu-Togaga’e, Craven, Astley, Wardle

OLDHAM: Laulu-Togaga’e; Agoro, Jack Johnson, Turner, Dixon; Craven, Dean; T.Chapelhow, Wildie, Sidlow, Lawton, Wardle, Moran. Subs: Aldridge, Josh Johnson, Kopczak, Astley (all used). 18th man: Ben O’Keefe.

WORKINGTON: Galea; Hadfield, Taylor, Hartley, Southward; Forber, Thomson; Brennan, Bradley, Brierley, Stephenson. Subs: Reid, Saunders, Key, Bickerdike (all used).

Ref: Warren Turley; HT: 28-0; Pens: 4-4; Att: 2,681