Oldham put their record on the line

WITH just one more game to go before the play-offs kick in, Roughyeds coach Steve Deakin is urging supporters to provide huge vocal backing when Workington Town visit Boundary Park on Sunday (3pm kick off).

Oldham don’t yet know if they will be forced into National League Two’s end-of-season competition – automatic promotion hopes rest on Barrow losing at Swinton tomorrow afternoon – but one certainty is that the team can finish no lower than third.

That is down to Gateshead signing off their title-winning campaign by beating Doncaster, the only team that could have overtaken the Roughyeds, 22-18 at Kingston Park, Newcastle, last night.

But while the pre-season 500-1 outsiders were creating their own piece of history in the north-east, Deakin is focusing on a record of his own that is up for grabs: to become the first Oldham RL team to go through the season unbeaten at home since the class of 1989-90.

“I really implore the fans to turn up in large numbers to help make it an historic occasion,” said Deakin, whose side could yet become the only professional outfit in the country to achieve a 100-per-cent home record throughout the campaign.

“Compared to where we were a couple of years ago, not winning a single game, the difference is massive.

“We really need a lift from the fans to send us into the play-offs, if that is where we end up, in as positive a frame of mind as possible. “

The last time Oldham went through an entire season unbeaten at home was in the 1989-90 campaign, the same year as agonisingly losing 10-6 to Warrington to be denied a first-ever Wembley Challenge Cup final appearance.

As for the injuries situation, things haven’t cleared up as hoped and with only 11 players able to train fully last night, team selection will once again be delayed until game-day.

Oldham (from): O’Connor, St Hilaire, Halliwell, Littler, Onyango, Hodson, Roden, Boults, Hoyle, Sutton, Menzies, Martin, Roberts, Joseph, Baines, Coyle, Tamghart, Mervill, Robinson, Cardiss, Baines.