Carey: We've got to build on this

Dave Hewitt

THOUGH disappointed not to have picked up a shock win, Oldham's assistant boss Peter Carey said he was "delighted" with the overall performance in a 24-32 loss to Hull KR - a sign, he said, that better days might lie ahead.

"We played well in spells at Swinton last week," he said. "The plan this week was to find a consistent level and stick to it for 80 minutes, which I would say we did.

"Each and every player did well. We stuck to the game plan and in the first 20 minutes we had a near-100 per cent completion rate.

"We were playing exactly how we had asked them to play and from the coaching staff's point of view that's really pleasing.

"Towards the end of the first half we slackened our grip a little bit and they crept back into it.

"We talked at half-time about still being in the game despite the 16 points they scored in the run-up to the break. I didn't think the half-time score reflected our level of performance in the first 40 minutes.

"We also talked about how important it was for us to start the second half as we had started the first, but a couple of crucial decisions went against us and got us on the back foot.

"Another aspect of the performance that was good was the way in which the halves took the ball to the line, this creating a better service out wide to people like 'Langers' (Danny Langtree).

"We've got to build on this now, sort out the little things that will improve us even more and go into the next couple of games, both at home, with a lot more confidence and self belief."