Liam is Oldham fitness worry

OLDHAM prop Liam Gilchrist, who has a slight calf strain, is doubtful for Sunday's clash with Tony Benson's Oxford at Iffley Road.

He was taken off ten minutes into last week's 44-12 win at Gateshead in order to prevent any further damage.

He will have treatment tonight before a final fitness test on Saturday.

Given that Gilchrist's fellow front-row man Jason Boults is out for several weeks with a broken finger, coach Scott Naylor will be delighted if the former St Helens youngster gives him the thumbs-up.

Captain Lewis Palfrey and hooker-turned-halfback Kenny Hughes also picked up knocks in the North-East.

They were taken off as precautionary measures, however, and will be able to play in the Roughyeds' first-ever trip to Oxford (3pm kick-off).

In the seven league games since, Oldham have been victorious six times, their only defeat coming when they were pipped 22-20 by table-topping North Wales Crusaders in Wrexham.

While accumulating 19 points from a possible 21 during that run, and moving up to second place in Kingstone Press Championship One, several players have shot to prominence.

Latest statistics show that by scoring at least one try in each of the last six games, centre Jon Ford has the longest try-scoring run in all three tiers of the sport.

The 19-year-old's 11 tries in those six matches place him third in the list of Championship One scorers behind Crusaders' pair Rob Massam and Gary Middlehurst, on 14 and 12 respectively.

Adam Files (eight) and Richard Lepori (seven) also figure in the top nine.

Palfrey's 39 goals put him second to Tommy Johnson of Crusaders, who tops the goalkicking list with 41.

And Lepori, full back, Ford, left cente, and Palfrey, stand-off, are all named in the mythical Premier Sports Championship One team of the week.

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