IF Dennis Tuffour wasn’t already a fans’ favourite at York City Knights, then he sure is now.

The dual-registered winger – back in the side after being a controversial omission in last week’s loss to Swinton – scored his second superb solo try of the day in the third minute of stoppage time to give the Knights a startling 34-28 Championship One win at joint-leaders Oldham.

The Roughyeds were in possession near half-way, bidding to set up field position for a drop goal, when Tuffour, voted The Press Player of the Month for April, read the play, shot out of the defensive line and clattered into Paul O’Connor, forcing the hitherto superb Oldham full-back to drop the ball.

Tuffour then picked it up and had the legs to beat the cover to the posts, to ignite wild celebrations among his team-mates and spoil the Roughyeds’ party on the day they returned ‘home’ to a ground in the borough of Oldham.

That there was so much stoppage time was partly down to another key moment in a remarkable match – a moment which also involved Tuffour, a player who it seems cannot stay out of the spotlight.

The Hull flier was knocked off his feet by a high tackle from Wayne Kerr which saw the big Oldham forward sent off with 27 minutes to go. Oldham trailed 24-20 at the time and had a roll on, going down the slope at a ground which is anything but palatial, but at least is a new base for an outfit who’ve been nomadic since leaving Watersheddings in 1997.

The card therefore probably made a difference, but the result – which turned the formbook upside down and ended the hosts’ 100 per cent league record – was not all down to either that or Tuffour’s contribution. Far from it.

The winger, for his part, was not error-free, having been caught out for two of Oldham’s tries. Indeed, it was by no means a complete performance from the Knights as a whole, mistakes with and without the ball hindering their progress.

However, the difference this week compared to the loss to Swinton was the players’ willingness to take responsibility for errors and make amends.

For example, Luke Hardbottle ruined excellent field position at the end of the first half when tackled into touch. But at the end of the second, it was his pressure that denied Matty Ashe a potential match-winning drop goal.

Similarly, fellow substitute Jack Stearman conceded a penalty 30 yards from his own line when playing-the-ball off the mark, Oldham soon scoring. But in the hosts’ next two attacks, Stearman’s massive hit on Chris Clarke and quick-thinking at marker won back possession twice.

Moreover, it was the players’ willingness to make up for team-mates’ errors, too, sharing the responsibility, that was to the fore.

It’s what coach James Ratcliffe has called for when he talks about “having each other’s backs” – it’s that “all for one and one for all” mentality which all teams need to have any kind of ongoing success.

Tuffour came up with the best example of it at the death.

The game had started well for York too, Danny Ratcliffe giving them a third-minute lead after good play by Paul Stamp, Lee Waterman adding the first of his five conversions.

Oldham hit back through Kerr and John Gillam, but Tuffour made immediate amends when beating O’Connor to the ball 30 yards from his own line and streaking downhill to the bottom corner.

Stamp was the latest player to be tried at scrum-half and the play around him sometimes lacked fluency. But he was also busy, never more so than in the build-up to Steve Lewis’ try, set up by Joe McLocklan’s pass. Lewis, in at second-row, prop Nathan Freer making way, ran great angles all game.

Waterman then powered over for a 24-12 scoreline. However, with York’s recent penchant for throwing away leads, tries by Lucas Onyango and O’Connor either side of half-time and one for Mick Fogerty, soon after Oldham had gone down to 12 men, had York fans thinking “here we go again”.


Match facts

Oldham: O’Connor, Onyango, Heaton, Fogerty, Gillam, Whitmore, Ashe, Boults, M Roden, Kerr, Robinson, Chandler, Clarke.

Subs (all used): Ellison, Sutton, Hodson, Mansfield.

Tries: Kerr 7; Gillam 16; Onyango 33; O’Connor 43, 67; Fogerty 56.

Conversions: Ashe 7, 16.

Penalties: None.

Sent off: Kerr 53.


Knights: Ratcliffe 8, Tuffour 8, Wilson 6, Waterman 8, Lineham 7, McLocklan 8, Stamp 7, Applegarth 7, Lee 7, Fallon 8, Ross 8, Lewis 8, Blakeway 7.

Subs (all used): Hardbottle 6, Waller 7, Duckworth 6, Stearman 7.

Tries: Ratcliffe 4; Tuffour 19, 80; Lewis 27; Waterman 30; Lineham 61.

Conversions: Waterman 4, 19, 27, 30, 80.

Penalties: None.


Man of the match: Jordan Ross – huge stint from the second-row who never stops working, never stops making ground and testing defenders with hit-ups, and never shirks a tackle.

Referee: Peter Brooke (Hull) – two big decisions – a red card for Oldham and an on-report decision for York – went the Knights’ way, but many other smaller decisions went against the visitors.

Penalty count: 11-8.

Weather watch: Fair.

Attendance: 1,500 (estimate).

Half-time: 16-24.

Moment of the match: The Knights players’ wild celebrations after Dennis Tuffour’s match-winning last-ditch try.

Gaffe of the match: Both sides made errors but the biggest one was Wayne Kerr’s flailing arm which clothes-lined Dennis Tuffour and earned a red card.

Game-breaker: Obviously Dennis Tuffour’s try which came with 25 seconds left on the official clock, nearly three minutes into stoppage time.

Match rating: A remarkable game which had pretty much everything, including a nail-biting finale.