Resilient Roughyeds bounce back in style

Photo: Tim Bradley

MILES OF SMILES . . . Liam Johnson (third, left) is mobbed by his team-mates after scoring Oldham’s second try in the defeat of Batley Bulldogs at Bower Fold.

SCOTT Naylor has revealed that Oldham did next to no training in the build-up to the spirited 28-12 win against Batley Bulldogs at Bower Fold.

He also confirmed that due to injuries and sickness, Roughyeds were down to the 17 players who played - including dual-reg teenagers Tyler Dickinson and Liam Johnson.

Adam Clay was back on the right wing after missing the Swinton game with a stomach upset, but Adam Files has now gone down with the bug.

Naylor, also under the weather, was at the game yesterday, but kept out of the dressing room and sponsors’ suite and delegated some of his normal duties to assistants Lee Spencer and Peter Carey.

Latest injury victims are Jon Ford, who has a knee problem and Danny Grimshaw, who was sore around his ribs.

Naylor said: “After playing so poorly in our two Easter games we did more talking than training last week. We got some things out into the open and took it from there.

“The main thing was to respond with a performance showing we are tough and hard to beat. They were just some of the things we talked about.

“Injury wise, we don’t know yet how long Ford and Jack Holmes will be. Danny Grimshaw said he would have played if we had been stuck, but there was no point risking him.”