OUR try-scoring back Owen Restall will be keen to add to his tally of 17 league tries when London Skolars come to the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday, kick-off 3pm.
Owen has made a huge impact on Betfred League One in his debut season as a pro, having earned a place in the Welsh squad, and his two tries from the left-wing spot at Midlands Hurricanes last week lifted him back to joint second in the League One try charts.
Coincidentally, it was his first game for Roughyeds on the wing because he is better known as a full-back — the position in which he had played all season prior to his change of position last week which saw Kian Morgan featuring as last line of defence.
Head coach Stu Littler must have had his reasons but, whatever they were, it proved to be a master-stroke with both players looking good in their new positions, Restall scoring a try in each half and the versatile Morgan looking comfortable at full-back in his third different role.
He had previously done well at centre and at stand-off and he made it a hat-trick of successes at full-back with another good performance.
LEADING SCORERS
(League games only)
Tries
1 Mo Agoro (Keighley Cougars) 26
2 = Rob Massam (North Wales Crusaders) 17
Owen Restall (OLDHAM) 17
Lewis Sheridan (Rochdale Hornets) 17
5 = Jarred Bassett (London Skolars) 16
Gav Rodden (North Wales Crusaders) 16
7 Charlie Graham (Keighley Cougars) 15
8 Jack Miller (Keighley Cougars) 14
9 = Nathan Roebuck (Keighley Cougars) 13
Gregg McNally (Rochdale Hornets) 13
Goals
1 Jack Miller (Keighley Cougars) 100
2 Dan Abram (Swinton Lions) 99
3 Tommy Johnson (North Wales Crusaders) 95
4 Lewis Sheridan (Rochdale Hornets) 60
5 Connor Robinson (Doncaster) 59
6 Martyn Ridyard (OLDHAM) 56
7 Phil Lyon (London Skolars) 40
8 Ben Stead (Midlands Hurricanes) 35
9 Joe Sanderson (Hunslet) 29
10 Benn Hardcastle (North Wales Crusaders/Midlands Hurricanes) 26
Points
1 Jack Miller (Keighley Cougars) 256
2 Tommy Johnson (North Wales Crusaders) 234
3 Dan Abram (Swinton Lions) 226
4 Lewis Sheridan (Rochdale Hornets) 188
5 Connor Robinson (Doncaster) 130
6 Martyn Ridyard (OLDHAM) 117
7 Mo Agoro (Keighley Cougars) 104
8 Phil Lyon (London Skolars) 92
9 Ben Stead (Midlands Hurricanes) 86
10 Benn Hardcastle (North Wales Crusaders/Midlands Hurricanes) 80
Skolars will be seeking their first away win against Oldham, having lost all 11 of their previous away games against the Roughyeds.
Over the years, they’ve proved a much tougher nut to crack down there.
We lost 38-16 at the New River Stadium in May this year and in our previous visit to North London in August, 2019, we snatched a 15-14 win.
Niel Thorman, meanwhile, needs three goals to draw level with Dylan Skee as the Skolars’ all-time leader for most goals.
Thorman has kicked 227 goals to Skee’s 230 so we don’t want to be conceding penalties come Sunday afternoon.
