Gateshead make history

GIVEN that you are not allowed to pass the ball forward in rugby league, The Northern Echo Darlington Arena was the perfect choice of venue for Gateshead Thunder’s Carnegie Challenge Cup fifth-round tie with Oldham.

After all, Darlington Football Club have been perfecting the art of going backwards all season.

Thunder, on the other hand, are proud to be progressive, and after winning promotion to the second tier of the European game last season, the Gateshead club passed another landmark on Saturday when they qualified for the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup for the first time in their history.

A convincing 34-16 victory over Oldham represented a perfect start for newlyappointed head coach Steve McCormack, and set up a mouth-watering last-eight tie at home to reigning champions St Helens.

If Gateshead want to make a habit of staging their biggest games at the homes of failing football clubs, perhaps they’ll switch that match to St James’ Park.

“The Challenge Cup is the best cup competition in the world,” said McCormack, who took up his new position last Tuesday having previously coached with Salford, Widnes and Whitehaven. “It’s a fantastic tournament to be involved in.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to come in for one game with Gateshead, with a chance of getting through to the quarter-finals.

“All the hard work has been done by Chris (Hood, former caretaker) and the players, but for this club to get to the quarter-finals is a fantastic achievement.

“It’s brilliant for Steve Garside (owner), who has big plans, and it’s great for the Gateshead fans. They may not be the biggest in numbers, but the noise they make is as big as any in the game, so for them to see their side in a quarter-final is fantastic.

“They’ve had some rough times in the last few years, with plenty of ups and downs, but to get into the quarterfinal of the cup is a fitting reward.”

Around 800 Gateshead fans made the journey down the A1 on Saturday - the game was switched to Darlington because Gateshead International Stadium was being used for an athletics event - and their loyalty was rewarded with a victory that was built on a 20-minute whirlwind at the start of the second half.

The first professional rugby league game to be staged in County Durham had looked like falling flat before the interval as Oldham, who compete in the division below Gateshead, belied their lesser status to claim a 6-4 interval lead.

Tommy Goulden’s converted try opened the scoring for the visitors, and while Michael Knowles crossed for Thunder shortly before the half-hour mark, the second row’s failure to convert his own score meant the hosts trailed at the break.

That changed within six minutes of the restart, however, as Gateshead scored the first of four tries in 13 minutes that completely changed the complexion of the game.

Luke Branighan burrowed over from close range, before replacement Matt Barron beat two Oldham defenders with a slaloming 20-yard run to cross for Thunder’s third score.

Full-back Stewart Sanderson rounded off a fine passing move to extend Gateshead’s lead, and the tie looked to be over as a contest when Ben McAlpine ran in a 30-yard intercept try to make it 28-6 at the hour mark.

Oldham rallied with tries from Danny Halliwell and Dave Allen reducing their arrears to 12 points, but Thunder cemented their quarter-final spot with a second breakaway with seven minutes left.

Branighan intercepted a loose Oldham pass on the halfway line and ran in unopposed to claim his second try, before man-of-thematch Andrew Henderson added a long-range penalty to round off the scoring.

“It’s been a successful day, and it’s been nice to bring professional rugby league to a different part of the region,”

said Thunder chief executive Rod Findlay. “Hopefully, this won’t just be a one-off. We’d like to do it again in the future.”

The hope for Gateshead is that a Super League tie could eventually take place at the Darlington Arena. The fear for sports fans living in Darlington, however, is that Super League might be the only show in town if the football club’s fortunes do not improve.

Gateshead: Sanderson, Peers, Nash, McAlpine, Matthews, Thorman, Branighan, Parker, Henderson, Cakacaka, Cording, Knowles, Clarke.

Replacements: Crowther, McBride, Barron, Clarke.

Tries: Knowles, Branighan (2), Barron, Sanderson, McAlpine Penalties: Henderson Conversions: Knowles (4) Oldham: O’Connor, Ballard, Halliwell, St Hilaire, Onyango, J Coyle, T Coyle, Highton, Gibbons, Boults, Goulden, Allen, Roberts.

Replacements: I’Anson, Mervill, Roden, Baines.

Tries: Goulden, Halliwell, Allen Conversions: Ballard (2)