Langley looking for top display

GARETH LANGLEY

GARETH LANGLEY is backing his team-mates to once again raise the performance level ahead of a huge test.

Oldham travel to face Barrow Raiders tonight (7.30pm kick off), a team as yet unbeaten at Craven Park this season.

Dave Clark’s men, top of the National League Two table, stumbled to an unexpected 15-10 defeat at Hunslet last week.

But Langley, who tasted both the highs and lows in a pair of terrific matches up at Barrow in 2007, is under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead.

And he knows that on the back of a relatively poor showing in winning 16-14 at Workington, a big improvement is needed if three points are to be picked up.

“We got the result up there but our performance level was well below par,” said the 23-year-old winger.

“We kept dropping the ball in their half and only really got the ball wide twice, with Mick (Nanyn) scoring off both as well as his dummy-half sneak.

“I can’t remember one of us playing well and that is no disrespect to Workington, who did well.

“But normally when we have a bad game, we play well the week after. At Blackpool we weren’t good, but then against Gateshead we really performed.

“We have been a bit busted in training this week but the two sessions have been good preparation for us and we are confident.”

This is the first of a pair of crucial meetings between the two promotion contenders.

Almost exactly a year ago at the same ground in the regular-season league clash, an irresistible second half comeback saw Barrow win 34-26 — despite being 20-6 down just before half-time.

Then, in a play-off Grand Final eliminator, the Roughyeds came away with a resounding 28-6 victory in which Adam Hughes — now a Barrow player — claimed a hat-trick.

And Langley hopes to recreate the sort of end-of-season form which propelled Oldham to that NL2 Grand Final last year, in order to claim a promotion spot this time around.

“We have got to go out to win every game as we know that if we lose one, that could possibly be it for automatic promotion,” he added.

“There are a lot of twists and turns still to come. But the bottom line is that every game from now on is a play-off game — the same as it was for us at the end of last season.”

Roughyeds staff are gearing their side up in preparation for Hughes taking to the field against his former employers tonight.

The prolific former Super League centre left Oldham after helping the team reach last year’s Grand Final, scoring 22 tries in only 16 appearances.

And the irony is is that his performances against his current club — overall, Hughes claimed seven tries in three matches against Barrow in 2007 — were the main factor attracting suitors at Craven Park.

“For Hughes to be a threat, they have to get the ball to him,” said Oldham coach Steve Deakin.

“We are well aware of the threat he poses on the edge, but he is not their only player and we have dealt with similar threats before — as with Stuart Littler at Salford.

“It is about what we do collectively and we need to control the football and the rhythm of the game.

“I am expecting it to be a quick and physical game and one that can go a long way to possibly identifying a team that will go up automatically.”