Gibbons blow for Roughyeds

STEVIE GIBBONS has provided Roughyeds coach Tony Benson with a headache ahead of the derby test against Rochdale on Wednesday night.

The Ireland international hooker enjoyed a sparkling debut off the bench at dummy-half during Oldham’s superb 22-20 win at Widnes on Friday night before being withdrawn at half-time.

The 25-year-old went to hospital after the game where it was discovered he has sustained a grade one tear to the ligaments in the acromioclavicular (AC) joint in his shoulder.

While the good news is that this is the least severe form of the injury, which requires rest rather than an operation, it isn’t yet known exactly how long he will be out for. Gibbons will be examined at training tonight.

His absence gives Benson a problem at hooker. With Simeon Hoyle currently unavailable, Dave McKay having gone home and Gary Sykes on the mend following a knee injury, Phil Joseph is the lone number nine currently available to the Roughyeds.

Thomas Coyle — who was taken off at the Stobart Stadium with a knee injury merely as a precaution — took up the role while on loan at Halifax, though as he is performing well at scrum-half Benson may be reluctant to move him there.

Roughyeds chief executive Chris Hamilton hopes that the level of performance shown in defeating the Vikings, the pre-match favourites for both the Northern Rail Cup and the Co-operative Championship, will translate to ‘bums on seats’ for the Hornets game on Wednesday.

“We hope that people will sit up and take notice of us and get down to Boundary Park for our first home match, which is also a local derby,” he said.

In their first game since being taken over as a supporters’ co-operative, Rochdale were beaten 54-12 at Spotland by Barrow Raiders in pool one. 

Other results: Pool one: Blackpool 16, Keighley 14; Gateshead 44, Sheffield 18; Hunslet 10, Halifax 38. Pool two: Dewsbury 50, Swinton 0; Doncaster 6, Featherstone 32; Leigh 74, London Skolars 6; Whitehaven 52, Batley 30; Workington 10, York 34.