Banned trio miss Cougars clash

LEAGUE One leaders Oldham will go into two of their toughest games of the season without Gareth Owen, George Tyson and dual-reg man Josh Johnson.

All three have been suspended for two games by a disciplinary tribunal for their part in the “Barrow brawl” - a 79th-minute league battle at Craven Park on May 9, when Oldham were beaten for the only time this season

Players of both sides traded punches in a free-for-all that spilled over the touchline after Barrow had sealed a 30-18 win with a last-minute try.

The two players sent off - Oldham’s Owen and Barrow’s Liam Campbell - each posted an early guilty plea on striking charges and received the statutory two-match ban.

Tyson and Johnson, both pleaded guilty to similar offences and were given two-match suspensions and fined £75.

The three Oldham players will miss the game at Keighley Cougars on May 31 and the clash with North Wales Crusaders at Whitebank on June 7.

Oldham are strong at hooker, where they can replace Owen by starting with Kenny Hughes and having Adam Files on the bench, or vice-versa. But they are not as well placed at centre, where Tyson will be a hard act to follow.