John Kear, the Wakefield coach, remains on course for an unprecedented treble after steering the Wildcats to their first Challenge Cup semi final in 29 years.

Kear's well-documented love affair with rugby league's oldest trophy lingers on after Wakefield ran in nine tries, including two scores each for Sean Gleeson and Jamie Rooney, to book their place in the last four.

Shock triumphs with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 and Hull in 2005 have established Kear's reputation for knockout successes and the former England boss is now only two wins shy of becoming the first man to coach three different clubs to Challenge Cup glory.

“I'm sure everybody will be wanting us in the semi final but I'm not bothered,” he said. “We've now got an 80 minute opportunity to get into a major final.” Steve Deakin, the Oldham coach, was Kear's assistant in 1998 and he looked to have engendered the Eagles' spirit in his part-time troops when they took a shock lead through Lucas Onyango's 60-metre interception.

The visiting team even had the temerity to hold on to their advantage for a further 15 minutes as Wakefield struggled to find a way through, although there was an inevitability about what was to follow once the their line had been breached.

Gleeson and Damien Blanch crossed inside three minutes midway through the first half before Oliver Wilkes preceded Blanch's second in another two-try, three-minute burst just before the interval.

Rooney's second-half double was complimented by Brad Drew, Danny Brough and Tony Martin as Oldham's National League Two status began to tell against their full-time, top-flight opposition.

“For 35 minutes we gave it a great shot,” Deakin said. “But they were a bit too big, too strong and too skilful in the final reckoning.”

Scorers: Wakefield: Tries: Gleeson 2, Blanch, Wilkes, Drew, Rooney 2, Brough, Martin. Goals: Brough 5.
Oldham: Tries: Onyango.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: M Blaymire; S Gleeson, T Martin, R Atkins, D Blanch; B Drew, D Brough; R Moore, S Obst, O Wilkes, D MacGillivray, J Golden, D Sculthorpe. Interchange: J Rooney, K Bibb, K Henderson, J Pitts.
Oldham: P O'Connor; B Seru, M St Hilaire, M Nanyn, L Onyango; N Roden, J Coyle; J Boults, S Hoyle, R Merville, T Goulden, R Roberts, P Joseph. Interchange: M Brookes, A Robinson, S Baldwin, S Tamghart.
Referee: B Thaler.