JOHNNY Openshaw, the young hooker from Salford who has joined Roughyeds on a two-week loan deal initially, is named in Stu Littler’s 21-man squad for tomorrow’s (Sunday) big derby clash with derby rivals Rochdale Hornets at the Vestacare Stadium.
Openshaw and Sean Slater are in for Brad Jinks and Dec O’Donnell, while prop Luke Nelmes, who has cleared a suspension, and wing-or-centre Liam Copland, back after injury, replace centre Kian Morgan and prop Nyle Flynn.
Squad: Andrade, Cameron, Carr, Cooke, Copland, Coventry, Hartley, Hewitt, Muranka, Nelmes, Newton. Openshaw, Restall, Ridyard, Slater, Spencer, Thornton, Wellington, Whittel, Windrow, Yarrow.
Hornets who won 34-18 at the Crown Oil Arena on Good Friday, led 22-0 after 14 minutes at Midlands Hurricanes last Sunday, but survived a few anxious moments before winning 42-34.
At one stage Hurricanes were only in arrears by two points and such was Hornets coach Matt Calland’s frustration that he has ordered his men to “toughen up” in the derby, which he describes as the most important game of the season.
At Solihull in South Birmingham, centre Ben O’Keefe scored a hat-trick of tries, having signed on loan from Wigan Warriors only a few days previously. He had signed for Hornets on a two-week loan before Easter and had played a key role in the Good Friday win against Roughyeds.
He is back at the Crown Oil Arena now and he will be one to watch, as will winger Jy Hitchcox, who has also re-signed on loan, from Leigh, for a second spell this year in red, white and blue.
Turnstiles open at 1pm and there will be a curtain-raiser, also starting at 1pm, between the under-9s of Higginshaw and Saddleworth Rangers.
The match ball will be presented to the referee by Major Hardaker of the British Army, an Oldham man who has been in the Army for 43 years and has served in the Falkland Islands, USA, Iraq and Afghanistan.
There will be a major presentation of club heritage certificates on the pitch at half-time to many former players of Oldham RLFC, including Fred Hall, Martin Hall, Paul Topping, Tommy Martyn and Neil Flanagan as well as to our former coach Steve Deakin, who will receive a certificate on behalf of his late brother Peter, who played for Oldham before becoming the renowned marketing manager of Bradford Bulls in the early days of Super League when Bulls-mania swept through the city.
If you’re a rugby league fan, the Vestacare Stadium is the place to be on Sunday.
You can buy tickets online now or pay at the turnstiles at these prices.
Adults, standing £15, sitting £16; concessions, standing £13, sitting £14; Students, with ID, standing £4, sitting £5; under-16s, standing FREE, sitting £2.
Squads
Match Officials
- Referee: J McMullen
- Touch Judges: J. Ruckledge, J. Stearne
