Halifax 38 Rochdale 6: Impressive Halifax in seven-try Cup victory

It was a steady rather than spectacular performance from Karl Harrison’s side, who did not really need to get out of second gear against John Stankevitch’s Championship One side, who were playing their first match of any sort since September after a handful of postponements.

Halifax took the lead when Anthony Thackeray, who started at half back alongside Paul Handforth, and Dane Manning combined to send full-back Ryan Fieldhouse over on the right.

Steve Tyrer kicked the goal for 6-0, before adding the extras to Thackeray’s try.

Just before the half hour former Hornet Craig Ashall and Sean Penkywicz combined to send substitute Jim Gannon over with his first touch of the ball, Tyrer obliging with the easy kick.

The hosts were now in control and further first-half tries came from Rob Worrincy and White, with Tyrer striking the woodwork with his conversion attempts.

Ashall was pulled back for offside with the line beckoning within seconds of the restart, but back-to-back penalties put Hornets on the front foot and Stephen McDermott wriggled over to score, stand-off Paul Crook converting.

But once Halifax got their hands on the ball again, the result was inevitable,Gannon sending Ashall slicing through from 20 metres out and Tyrer converting.

It was almost inevitable that Fax would eventually score again and they did, with eight minutes remaining, when Penkywicz, who had only been back on the field a matter of seconds after a lengthy absence with a cut to his head, fired out a pass and Tyrer hit the ball at pace to cross for his side’s seventh try of the game.

Halifax: Fieldhouse, Worrincy, Tyrer, Heaton, White, Handforth, Thackery, Robinson, Penkywicz, Hesketh, Manning, Morrison, Ashall. Substitutes: Bowman, Chandler, Gannon, J. Barlow.

Rochdale: O’Connor, Gorton, Donoghue, Stewart, English, Crook, Roper, Cookson, Wood, Newton, Baines, Hobson, Middlehurst. Substitutes: McDermott, Hough, Bowman, Lucas.

Referee: M Thomason (RFL)