ROUGHYEDS reignited their promotion push with an eight-try demolition job on the Crusaders – and a throwback to the days when exciting tries by wingers were often decisive.

Left-winger Lee Kershaw’s 28th-minute touch-down was a long-range classic which had the fans purring.

And on the opposite flank, right-winger Harry Aaronson’s double in the last 10 minutes clinched a win which took Oldham back up to second place in Betfred League 1.

His first was a doddle. He simply latched on to a loose ball and turned on the after-burners to leave defenders in his wake as he raced to the posts.

His second, though, took a lot of scoring and needed a spectacular dive at the corner flag to clinch an Oldham win that could prove decisive in the final shake-up for places at the top end of the division.

There was nothing to touch Kershaw’s cracker in the first half, but two tries apiece by Aaronson and full-back Ritchie Hawkyard gave more than a hint that the division’s top scorers have the strike power to achieve the squad’s goals.

Hawkyard, or ‘Titch’, is a veteran who may retire at the end of the season despite a natural enthusiasm which would put much younger players to shame.

Kershaw and Aaronson are on loan (Kershaw from Wakefield Trinity and Aaronson from Swinton Lions), but Oldham’s requirements are in the short term with only five games left in the regular season.

The talented twosome can play a huge part in Oldham’s plan to wing it into the Championship and to make up for the loss of Aaron Jones-Bishop, whose 2019 season is over because he needs knee-reconstruction surgery.

Crusaders led 10-6 midway through the first half, but Roughyeds replied with 22 unanswered points, highlighted by Kershaw’s touchline-hugging effort in which he left Dave Eccleston and Dante Morley-Samuels clutching at thin air.

Credit Crusaders with the bottle to keep battling and to cut the deficit to eight points with 17 minutes left.

Oldham could easily have collapsed under pressure but Aaronson’s double strike kept them cool, composed and in control.

Oldham: Hawkyard; Aaronson, McComb, Leeming, Kershaw; Brook, Hewitt; Joy, Owen, Spencer, Bridge, Langtree, Bent.

Subs: Law, Whittel, Wilkinson, Calland.

Referee: Liam Staveley.