The Road to Wembley - Part 5

Challenge Cup Round 5

Hull Kingston Rovers 22 Oldham Roughyeds 36 – Saturday, 16 April 2016

After Oldham’s comfortable victory in Round 4 they were given a great away day against a Super League side and for me it would be the first time I would see a side from the top level in this season’s Challenge Cup.  The draw for the Round 5 turned out to be very kind for me as it happened, as Hull KR would be an easy game for me to get to as it was practically on the door step of my in-laws.

My other half is an East Yorkshire lass born and bred so when the draw came out I happily told her that we could have a weekend at her parents.  It proved even more useful for us as it happened that her friend was hosting a first birthday party in Hull that weekend so it was a win-win all round!  When it turned out the game would be played on a Saturday she was even more chuffed as I could then chauffer her to said party on Sunday.

Having followed both sides progress in their respective league matches following the draw I was pleased to see that the Roughyeds had picked up a couple of wins in the Championship in the weeks leading up to the tie and would be in relatively decent form going into the game.  Unfortunately for the Robins, their form hadn’t got any better and were still languishing near the bottom of the table with just a couple of wins and a draw from their first 11 games.

Form doesn’t always count for everything in rugby league so I, along with all but a very limited number of Oldham fans, fully expected Hull KR to breeze through this game and into the next round ... It’s safe to say I could not have been more wrong!!

As it would be a short drive to the ground from her parents the wife decided to accompany me to the match - her first since Round 2.  I was pleased with the ease it was in buying the tickets for the game as I opted to purchase the tickets through the Hull KR website at a reduced price a couple of days before the game where I was able to hand pick my seats – right on the half way line in the main stand above the dug outs.

I also managed to speak to Rovers’ Media Manager, Matt Holden, via email in the week leading up to the game who kindly offered to provide me with a team sheet if the opportunity arose and was expecting me to contact him having seen my previous blogs on the earlier rounds.

After what felt like an age following the draw, match day finally arrived.  We got to the KC Lightstream Stadium nice and early so was able to purchase a match programme outside the ground before picking up our tickets at the office and making our way into the stand.  A pre-match lager for me and a hot chocolate to warm the cockles for the wife and we took our seats in the main stand.

The game got underway and after a fast start from the Roughyeds they stunned the hosts with the opening try on three minutes to give them a shock lead.  But when Rovers hit back soon after to level I fully expected them to go on and win comfortably.

Personally, I try and remain neutral at these games but with the wife being from East Yorkshire, every now and again I was met with a cry of “Come on ‘Ull” when they looked like breaking through which gave some funny looks from spectators around us when I wasn’t cheering as well (you can take the girl out of Hull...!)  One lass even turned round to ask what I was doing as I made notes in my little notepad every time someone scored but wasn’t cheering for either side.

An incredible first half performance saw Oldham storm into a fantastic lead with another three tries before half time and the score line read 24-6 at the break.  I feared for the Hull players’ lives as the air turned blue as the home fan’s showed their verbal discontent that their side was losing to a team near the bottom of the Championship.

As is the norm when visiting new grounds trying to find your way around becomes something of an adventure in itself.  As we left our seats at half time we somehow managed to follow some of Hull KR’s unused squad players down an unrecognizable flight of steps and it wasn’t until we got to the door of a hospitality bar that we realised that we had taken the wrong turning.  We got back on track and made it back to the stand just as the second half kicked off.  I even managed to avoid purchasing snacks at the kiosk while the wife was in the queue waiting for a coffee ... Body’s a temple and all that!

The second half began and with it came an early Rovers try and the fight back was on.  But the first of four unsuccessful conversion attempts from two different players put paid to any real hopes of a comeback as even though they scored a further three tries, Oldham always managed to be that extra score ahead.

Oldham then had the final say to put a real shine on their performance and submit their Super League opponents to an unceremonious exit at the first hurdle from a competition they had reached the Final of last season.

Cue the rapturous celebrations from the pocket of Roughyeds fans and players in the corner of the North Stand, and the boos, jeers and head-calling from the Rovers faithful around the ground as their players made a swift exit from the pitch.

A totally unexpected, but well deserved victory for Oldham sees them through to Thursday morning’s draw and the possibility of a dream tie away to a top 8 Super League side.

As a final note, there is also that added nervousness knowing that there are now TWO French teams in the draw as Toulouse made it through their tie and Catalans entering the fray in Round 6.  Watch this space!!