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Your support makes all the difference.OLDHAM GOT their season in the Northern Ford Premiership moving with a gripping victory over enterprising Barrow last night, writes Dave Hadfield.
Spotland, surely English sport's most overused ground, saw a stimulating contest between two clubs who had been to the brink of extinction. Oldham conceded early control to their visitors but then came back to win.
Fresh from impressive home victories over Whitehaven and Featherstone, Barrow began as though intent on demonstrating that they could do the business away as well. Their scrum-half, Darren Holt, put them ahead with an early penalty and then supplied the pass for Tane Manihera to go over for the game's first try.
Barrow looked likely to score with every attack during this inspired phase and their Welsh-born Australian hooker, Dave Clark, put them further ahead, throwing a long pass to Geoff Luxon and looping around to take the return.
Oldham had not mounted an attack worthy of the name but when they did they scored, John Hough and Mick Martindale opening the way for their scrum-half, Daniel Brown. On 27 minutes, they were level, Brown kicking for the corner and the 17-year-old Barrow winger, Paul Salmon, losing the ball to present Martindale with a try, again converted by the French full-back, Laurent Minut.
Salmon got the chance to atone when, attacking from deep within their own half, Barrow made vital ground through Jonathon Hughes' weaving midfield run. Salmon took Phil Atkinson's pass to squeeze in at the corner. Holt's kick giving them a six-point half-time lead.
The tide began to turn against a side they used to call the Shipbuilders immediately after the break when they lost the injured Clark. Soon after, Minut slipped his pass cleverly around the tackler to send Josh Bostock over, Brian Quinlan's kick levelling the scores.
Barrow briefly regained the lead through Holt's penalty, but lost it again as Brown forced his way over for his second. Quinlan extended Oldham's lead with a penalty and although Barrow strove to the very end they could not close the gap.
Oldham: Minut; Mead, Leuila, Bostock, McNicholas; Jackman, Brown; Casey, Hough, Clegg, Shaw, Perrett, Martindale. Substitutes used: Coulter, Prescott, Quinlan, Peralta.
Barrow: Magorian; Salmon, Thomas, Atkinson, Warwick; Maniheia, Holt; Whitter, Clark, Whiteley, Rhodes, Luxon, Hughes. Substitutes used: Massey, Barchard, Rawlinson, Whitehead.
Referee: P Taverner (Wigan).
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