FOR only a second game in five weeks, the first one being a 56-4 win in Cornwall, Roughyeds go to Rochdale tomorrow (Sunday) determined to get two more league points in their quest to finish as high up as possible in Betfred League One.
The action starts at 3pm, but we suggest you get there early to avoid heavy congestion near the turnstiles when people turn up at the last minute after watching the England Women’s football team play Spain in Sydney in a televised Women’s World Cup final.
It will be Mike Ford’s second game in charge of the team following his appointment as interim boss to the end of the season and he is delighted by the attitude and commitment of the Oldham players while, at the same time, expecting a much harder and closer game than in the 56-16 win Oldham recorded under Stu Littler’s tutelage at the Vestacare Stadium on Good Friday.
On that occasion, Roughyeds led their derby rivals 30-0 by half-time, but Ford expects a closer thing this time, given that Hornets are always switched on when playing their friends and neighbours at the Crown Oil Arena and they need a win in this one in terms of claiming the last available play-off spot at the expense of North Wales Crusaders, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
There are another two games in Betfred League One tomorrow and all three matches will have a bearing on play-off positions, lining up like this: Doncaster v Cornwall; Hunslet v London Skolars; Rochdale Hornets v Oldham.
On the face of it, you would expect Doncaster and Hunslet to win comfortably, thus requiring Ford’s men to complete a derby double in order to stay snapping at the heels of the two clubs above them in the current play-off five.
As of now, they line up in this order: Hunslet, Doncaster, OLDHAM, Workington Town, North Wales Crusaders with Hornets two points behind Crusaders with two games in hand.
We can talk all day about what the final line-up might be, but suffice to say at this juncture that Ford has targeted wins against Rochdale, Workington at Boundary Park on Wednesday (7.30) and Midlands Hurricanes at the Vestacare Stadium next Sunday in order to ensure that Roughyeds do all they can under his watch to get as high up the table as they possibly can.
I wrote earlier in this match preview that the Oldham supremo was delighted with his squad’s enthusiasm and thirst for the challenge, and that reflected in how they played at Cornwall; how they have trained on three nights a week now; and how they have even happily gathered on a Sunday to do a special session during a period of match inactivity.
Said Ford:
“I see this Rochdale game as the most important of the season so far, but then again the next match is always that, especially at this business end of the season.
We are relatively free from injury and I like to think we have the squad to get the job done, but I expect a much closer game than last time. We think we’ll have big support over there and apart from anything else we want to do it for our fans, I think it will be a cracker.
“Our full attention this week has been on Rochdale and so has everything we have done. The boys are up for it; they have trained hard and well; and we have been able to put a bit of extra fitness, speed and cohesion into them.”
Prop Luke Nelmes, who missed the Cornwall game because of suspension, is back in the 21-man squad, but the starting line-up will not be released until nearer kick-off.
