Place in record book beckons

SCOTT Naylor's promotion-chasing League One leaders will equal a 14-year Oldham RL record if they beat Barrow Raiders at Whitebank on Sunday in their penultimate home game of the regular season.

In the biggest, toughest and most competitive third tier for years - which includes five clubs in last season’s championship division - Oldham was tipped to finish mid-table, outside the play-offs.

But the side has caught pundits, bookies and rival clubs napping by storming to wins in 16 of its 19 league games and commanding a four-point lead at the top of the table.

York, Keighley and Swinton, lying second, third and fourth, each have a game in hand on the Roughyeds, whom they trail by four, four and five points respectively, for the final three games of Oldham’s season.

With Barrow arriving at Whitebank on Sunday, Naylor’s men are one more win away from equalling an Oldham club record of 11 straight wins, set in the Mike Ford days of 2001.

Chris Hamilton, who was chairman at that time, said: "Now, as then, every club we play wants to lower our colours. As each win is ticked off, the next becomes an even harder challenge, but the boys have learned to meet these challenges head on.

"Barrow on Sunday will present us with another huge test. To start with, they are fighting for every point they can to get into the top five. They were beaten at Keighley on Sunday by one point and they come here in search of a double, having beaten us 30-18 at Craven Park in May.

"We weren't on our mettle that day, but the boys are looking forward to Sunday and the opportunity to show them what the real Oldham are like."