Oldham's energy and commitment visibly faded as Hornets clawed their way back from a 25-12 deficit to score 22 unanswered points in as many minutes to treat the Spotland faithful to a spirited win.

But it all started so badly. Jon Roper hoofed the opening kick off into the Sandy Lane end and, 50 seconds later, Stazicker was planting the ball down under the posts. Nine minutes later, Oldham stretched the lead. Roden's lofted kick to the corner, Marlon BIlly outnumbered in the jump and Anderson touching down. 12-nowt and things looking bad.

Watson whittled away at the deficit with two penalties, but Oldham cancelled them out with points to spare as Goddard took a neat short pass from Mc Loughlin to score at short range after 28 minutes.

Hornets got the bounce of the ball on the half hour. Watson's sweeping pass hit Dave Larder on the way through, the ref waved play-on and, with the Oldha defence switched off, Roper gathered to crash in. Watson converted - and took the two points from a penalty right on the hooter. Half time 18-12 - and a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.

But the second half started in similarly ridiculous fashion to the first. Watson gathered the kick off and his offload to Matt Long was... er... flat, at best. Mr Connolly and his touch judge preferred forward. Within five minutes Barber was sending Brennan over by the posts. Barber converted. And, when Roden scooped over a drop goal on 52 minutes, Hornets looked dead in the water at 25-12.

But we were wrong. Marlon BIlly regathered Roper's short kick off and Smithy forced Anderson to push the ball dead with a fifth tackle grubber. From the resulting posession, Smith again worked up the line to find Roper arriving at speed to steam through and score.

Two minutes later Gareth Price made a barnstorming run through a fragile Oldham defence, Watson shipped the ball to Roper who made good ground before switching the ball back to Larder to score. Great football. Watson slotted the extras, Hornets were within a point and Oldham were looking pretty shaky.

So Hornets piled on the pressure, working the ball back up the pitch for Mayberry to go close. Pachniuk's superb vision picked out Nanyn and a perfect long ball gave him enough space to dive in. Hornets in front for the first time and Oldham looked shattered - emotionally and physically.

With Oldham's forwards throwing themselves fruitlessly on the Hornets defence, they searched in vain for an opening - and Hornets saved them the need to bother on 75 minutes when Smith and Roper combined to rip the defence wide open, Owen popping up to take the inside ball and score. Watson buried the conversion into an emptying Pearl Street end as the Oldham fans could take no more. 34-25. Lovely!

In the end, Hornets looked fitter and mentally tougher than an Oldham side who wilted badly once the going got tough.

Back to the drawing board for Steve Molloy who probably doesn't think that qualification's possible now.

Back to work with a smile for the rest of us!