Injury added to insult for Oldham

OLDHAM have picked up a handful of injuries to add to the blow of losing heavily to Gateshead Thunder.

On-loan George Tyson was ruled out of the game on Tyneside with a knee injury. And four players were hurt at Gateshead – Phil Joy, Lewis Palfrey, Danny Langtree and Sam Gee.

Joy has mild concussion and the other three have got painful thigh-muscle injuries, which will be assessed during the week.

Scott Naylor concedes that Oldham will probably finish third in Championship One following the 40-14 defeat. Had they won, Roughyeds could have wrapped up second place by beating Gloucester All Golds at Whitebank on Sunday (3pm) in the last of their league games.

Now they will finish second to York only if they beat Gloucester - and if Hunslet lose at South Wales Scorpions, who are marooned at the bottom of the league.

"It looks as though we'll be going to Hunslet now in our first play-off game, instead of them coming here," said Naylor. "In any event, we will work hard this week to put things right and to prepare well for Gloucester."

Gateshead coach Stanley Gene said his team's first-half performance – they led 20-0 at half-time – was Thunder's best 40 minutes in all his time at the club.