Old rivals to lay down Law again

FLASHBACK . . . to February, 2013 at Spotland. Oldham’s Lewis Palfrey (left) and Sammy Gee show off the Law Cup after their team’s victory over Rochdale.

AFTER three years in cold storage, the Law Cup will again be paraded at Spotland on the afternoon of January 17 when derby rivals Oldham and Rochdale Hornets resume pre-season hostilities for the traditional old trophy.

It will be the second of three Oldham warm-up games on opponents’ grounds as Scott Naylor’s 2015 League One champions prepare for life in the Championship, one tier down from Super League.

They go to Keighley Cougars on January 10; Rochdale on January 17 and Barrow Raiders on January 24.

They will then have a blank weekend before playing full-time opponents London Broncos in their first Championship game, on February 7.

Three practice games, followed by a free weekend before the big kick-off, was the formula that Naylor adopted before the promotion campaign, and he is keen to repeat it.

Fans of both clubs will welcome the return of the Law Cup derby which has thrown up some classic encounters over the years.

Oldham completed a big League One double over their nearest rivals last year, but at Spotland in January both teams will be fielding new signings and previous wins will count for little.

Naylor will be keen to scrutinise newcomers Danny Grimshaw, Craig Briscoe, Jack Spencer and Jamel Chisholm, while Hornets coach Alan Kilshaw will have his own newcomers, including Oldham-born Lewis Galbraith.