FORGET the final hooter yesterday, York City Knights’ 2009 season was over at 3.16pm.

Within those opening 16 minutes of the Championship One semi-final, Oldham had obliterated the home team with a four-try blitz and an unassailable 22-0 lead.

Only a month ago, James Ratcliffe’s men had fought back from 14-0 to win 37-24 at Boundary Park. They had also recovered from 12-0 down to win 20-18 the last time the sides met at Huntington Stadium.

But the battered and bruised hosts didn’t have enough in the tank to turn over the big, pacy Lancastrians for a third time, so it is they who go to next Sunday’s grand final against Keighley.

The 44-14 scoreline was nevertheless harsh on a Knights side who had given their all.

Indeed, any fan tempted to question the players’ attitude should have looked round the terraces first.

From the moment Oldham went ahead, the home support was quiet and out-shouted by the sizeable travelling contingent, and there was no banging of the celebrated drum when it was most needed.

And on the final hooter, when those players who were able to dragged their weary bodies to the Popular Stand at the end of a long hard season, only a smattering of sympathetic souls had stayed around to give them due credit.

At least Ratcliffe was “York and proud of it”, praising his players’ effort over the 80 minutes, albeit while acknowledging they came up short, not least in defence where eager line speed wasn’t matched by robust first contact.

But the team was already patched up, with full-back Danny Ratcliffe (broken nose) and half-backs Loz Wildbore (foot) and Gareth Moore (dead leg) all playing through injury, Wildbore hobbling at the end.

Lee Waterman, who injured a wrist last week, was also called to duty late on after Ian Bell – a surprise inclusion, with Luke Ambler also replacing dropped half-back Adam Mitchell – pulled out in the warm-up due to his recurring calf injury.

Waterman didn’t finish the game, however, being a victim of those blasted little potholes that plague this rugby and athletics ground.

He turned his ankle in the same spot in which Sean Hesketh turned his after only 12 minutes.

Arguably the Knights’ best player over the past two months, the prop played no further part and was a big miss.

What’s more, he collapsed in the defensive line right on his own whitewash, to open a gap which Oldham captain Tommy Goulden wasn’t going to miss, scoring his side’s third try in their early four-try salvo.

The Knights also lost young winger Tom Lineham to a bad knee injury ten minutes into the second half, the teenager having replaced the crocked Steve Lewis. He had done well enough whenever called upon, and hopefully he’ll be seen more in 2010.

It goes without saying they also badly missed talismanic loose- forward David March to that darned suspension. It would be a big shame if he is not seen in a Knights shirt again.

The Knights had actually begun on top, camped for the first five minutes in the visitors’ territory.

But while they couldn’t find a way through, Oldham – led by brilliant half-backs Neil Roden and man-of-the-match Tommy Coyle – scored in their first attack and blasted through at will during their purple patch.

They were helped a tad by referee Phil Bentham, with their first two tries coming on the back of penalties.

Teenager Ben Heaton got the opener for his first in professional rugby league.

Heaton had been drafted in for only his second appearance, while loose-forward Phil Joseph filled in at centre, too, due to injuries to Marcus St Hilaire and Craig Littler.

Indeed, Oldham, like York, had their own injury woes, although James Ratcliffe’s pre-match assertion that the team who wanted it most would win proved unjustified given the Knights’ desire shouldn’t be questioned.

Good half-back play then saw Chris Baines score, Bentham ignoring claims of a double movement, before Goulden got his try.

Oldham nearly breezed in again when running the last tackle, only to be denied by a knocked-on interception by John Oakes. But that merely delayed the inevitable as Paul Reilly crossed under the posts following the scrum, for a fourth try in 11 minutes.

Oakes’ pat forward had been York’s only touch of the ball in that time. And when they finally did get possession, they fumbled on half-way, fatigued by their defensive stint.

Within minutes, Baines, who finished the game with five conversions, booted a penalty.

York finally got on the scoreboard on 28 minutes when Moore’s 40-20 set the position for Chris Clough to score from a Wildbore pass.

However, neither Wildbore, nor any colleague, was able to repeat his individual heroics in that game at Boundary Park when he led the Knights’ fightback.

Instead, Oldham got the first try of the second half, going from under one set of posts to the other in a single set. Coyle dummied, darted into the gap and sent in Reilly.

Coyle will be playing in the Championship next season whatever happens next week, having signed for big-guns Widnes. It was easy to see why they would want him.

York responded when a high Moore kick – his kicking game was decent throughout – was patted back to Dave Clayton, who arced around the outside and sent in Oakes.

At 30-8, there was slim hope, but Danny Ratcliffe was unable to take a Wildbore offload, and then broke from Applegarth’s pass but was hauled back for obstruction. Wildbore also had a try ruled out.

As it was, three away tries in the last ten minutes, by Matty Ashe (2) and Lucas Onyango, just rubbed salt into the Knights’ deep wounds, and, amid it all, Oakes’ second try at the other end, a good finish from Clough’s pass, was met with almost silence.


Match facts

Knights 14, Oldham Roughyeds 44

Knights: Ratcliffe 7, Lineham 6, Oakes 6, Haberecht 7, Clayton 6, Wildbore 6, Moore 7, Applegarth 7, Hughes 7, Hesketh 6, Ross 7, Kelly 7, Blakeway 7.

Subs (all used): Waterman 6, Clough 7, Sullivan 7, Ambler 7.

Tries: Clough 28; Oakes 52, 76.

Conversions: Wildbore 76.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None Oldham: Reilly, Onyango, Joseph, Heaton, O’Connor, N Roden, Coyle, Boults, M Roden, Kerr, Baines, Goulden, Lawton.

Subs (all used): l’Anson, Menzies, Ashe, Sykes.

Tries: Heaton 5; Baines 8; Goulden 12; Reilly 16, 43; Ashe 70, 80; Onyango 79.

Conversions: Baines 8, 12, 16, 43, 70.

Penalty: Baines 22.

Drop goals: None.

Man of the match: Luke Ambler – the on-loan Leeds prop replaced half-back Adam Mitchell on the bench and made a big impact, with all the props having to do longer stints than usual due to Sean Hesketh’s early injury.

Referee: Phil Bentham (Blackpool). Rating: Couple of harsh penalties aided Oldham during their early scoring salvo, but the Super League official was decent throughout. If anything it showed the difference between top-tier refs and those that work in the lower leagues.

Penalty count: 10-6.

Weather: Nice enough.

Half-time : 4-24.

Attendance: 1,164.

Gamebreaker: Oldham’s four-try salvo in 11 minutes gave them an unassailable lead within the opening quarter.

Moment of the match: Lucas Onyango’s attempted conversion after the final hooter brought some mirth. Clearly not adept with the boot, he miscued his kick in front of the sticks so the ball squirmed along the ground.

Match rating: not the way the Knights would have wanted to end the season, their hard work and unquestionable effort coming to nothing, as Oldham fans celebrated.