Oldham swoop for Halifax half-back

HALIFAX’S 21-year-old midfield general Anthony Bowman will sign for Oldham on a month’s loan and train with the team tonight.

Oldham will actually acquire two players tonight: Salford City Reds’ centre Jon Ford (19), who has played five games for Oldham on dual registration, will also sign on for a month.

Determined to maintain the momentum from four wins in six games, coach Scott Naylor plans to bring in two more young dual-reg players from partner club Salford. All four will be fighting for squad positions for the game against Scorpions at Neath on Sunday afternoon.

Halifax-born Bowman, who plays loose-forward or half-back, signed for Wigan Warriors as a boy before returning home to Halifax in 2010. He has scored 16 tries in 38 first-team appearances since, with 10 tries in 19 games last season.

Naylor said: “Bowman can play a number of positions and I saw an opportunity to bring in a player who has had considerable experience in a higher division.

“We’ve got a run of tough and important games coming up and we need to make sure the squad is strong enough.

“As for Jon Ford, we all know how capable he is. I’ve always wanted to get him on loan, as opposed to week-to-week dual registration, because he’s a very good player.

“The partnership with Salford is working well for us; I’m hoping that once the initial month is up we will be allowed to extend the loan.

“It’s all about spreading the workload and managing the squad. I want us to peak when it matters most, but to do that I have to manage things now.”