Confident Coyle to keep feet on ground

James Coyle

JAMES Coyle reckons Oldham are better equipped than ever for an assault on promotion.

The 22-year-old scrum-half (pictured, right), now into his third week of training along with the rest of Tony Benson's squad, believes that a wider variety of options in the playmaking roles and a weight of extra experience could make all the difference for the Roughyeds, as the team seeks to gain promotion to National League One at the third time of asking.

However, the former Wigan player — now reunited with fellow half-back and younger brother Thomas, who has also signed a one-year deal with the Roughyeds — isn't about to take anything for granted.

"Experience might have been what we were lacking a bit of last season, especially when Two Bobs (captain Rob Roberts) was out injured," said Coyle, who is delighted with the acquisition of players with a huge number of Super League appearances behind them such as Paul Highton and Paul Reilly.

"The new lads we have got seem like good professionals and are coming here for a reason as well.

"But last year we had the best squad of anyone in the division. We didn't perform on the pitch and that is what it is all about.

"It doesn't matter what it says on paper, we have to go out there and play to our ability."

Last season, his first full campaign for Oldham, Coyle scored more tries than anyone else (21) and was the only ever-present in what turned out to be an ultimately unsuccessful year.

Most of those scores, which typically saw him stepping one way and another before accelerating through a bewildered defence down the middle, came earlier on in the season. As the campaign wore on, Coyle's form was variable and much of that can be put down to the fact that both he and Neil Roden — the only recognised half-backs in the squad, following Lee Sanderson's retirement — played on through a number of injury problems.

This time, though, it should be different. Brother Thomas can operate at numbers six, seven, or nine, last season spending most of his time on loan from Wigan at NL1 club Halifax at hooker, while other options in the hooking role include new man Gary Sykes, Simeon Hoyle and Phil Joseph.

"I have played a lot with Thomas at Wigan and we know each others' games well," Coyle added. "I think we go well together.

"Last year when Neil Roden wasn't playing everyone knew that if I was on one side of the ruck, that was the way the ball was going. It was too easy to defend against.

"This year we have got good options at dummy-half to ask questions of sides and we should always have two out-and-out half-backs on the field.

"The second half of last year was really quite tough. Things just didn't go right for us and we had a lot of injuries to cope with.

"But now we have got the opportunity of a fresh start and we have to make the most of it."

RESHUFFLE

With Gateshead, Barrow and Doncaster having gained promotion to NL1, a reshuffle due to the Super League licensing system means that the only new team in the section next year is relegated Dewsbury.

Nonetheless, two sides — the champions and the winners of a play-off competition — will still gain promotion in 2009.

Some would argue that this makes negotiating the division an easier prospect, but Coyle has mixed views.

"I don't think it will be as tough a division, to be honest, but having said that who would have said before the season that Gateshead would have been champions?" he added. "They only finished second-bottom the season before.

"Looking at last year, you never know how teams will turn out and you have to expect the unexpected to a degree.

"If you look at a side like Keighley for example, if they continue to progress like they did then they will give a lot of teams problems."