Roughyeds ‘quietly confident’ of beating home favourites
Date published: 12 September 2014
MIND THE GAP: Steven Nield lines up a kick at goal during Oldham’s hammering of Gloucester All Golds. PICTURE: PAUL STERRITT
OLDHAM go into tonight’s play-off qualifier at Hunslet as underdogs - and that suits them fine says assistant coach Lee Spencer.
York and Hunslet, first and second, were relegated a year ago and Spencer acknowledges that one of them is expected to go straight back up.
Oldham lost 38-12 at Hunslet in April, but neither team then resembled the current line-ups. Both squads have been reshaped since early season, but tonight’s teams will have changed little from the thriller at Whitebank seven weeks ago that Scott Naylor’s men won 24-23.
What few changes there are will be mainly in the Hawks line-up - a clear indication of their resolve to go straight back up to the new and restructured 12-club Championship.
“All the expectation and pressure is on them,” said Spencer. “They’ve got home advantage, they’ve made big signings like Briscoe and Moore - and everybody outside Whitebank believes it will be a Hunslet-York final. But we’ve plenty of reason to be quietly confident. We’ve beaten them both.”.
Most Viewed News Stories
- 1The 39 schools in Greater Manchester to get vital repairs - including 10 in Oldham
- 2Dove Stone partnership offers vital advice to visitors ahead of Easter break
- 3Oldham mourns passing of Mayoress at the age of 45
- 4Isaan contingent shine in Thailand
- 5“The Bee Network has landed” for half of Greater Manchester following the launch at Oldham...