Onyango out of Hornets clash

LUCAS ONYANGO will miss the Roughyeds derby clash with Rochdale Hornets.

IN-FORM winger Lucas Onyango will miss the Roughyeds’ derby clash with Rochdale Hornets after flying home to Kenya for a family funeral today.

The former Widnes Vikings player, who turns 28 on Sunday, is due to arrive back in the country on his birthday.

Onyango has been in good form when given an opportunity by coach Tony Benson this season. His hat-trick against Lézignan at the weekend — the last of which was a spectacular sprint which began in his own half — took him to six tries in only three appearances in 2009.

Overall, the crowd favourite has crossed for 35 tries in 44 appearances for Oldham since he arrived at the club during the 2007 season.

His absence is likely to see Lee Greenwood slot back in on the left wing for the Good Friday Co-operative Championship One clash at Spotland, against a Hornets side which will be eyeing an upset having come so close to beating Dewsbury before winning away at Swinton in the Challenge Cup on Friday night.

Fitness checks will be made this week on Marcus St Hilaire, who came off in the second half against Lézignan with severe cramp, plus captain Robert Roberts (ribs), Tommy Goulden (hamstring), Paul Highton (wrist), Danny Halliwell (hamstring) and Stevie Gibbons (shoulder).

Oldham are today awaiting news of the RFL’s draw for the fifth round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup, which is being made this afternoon at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

But chief executive Chris Hamilton is not happy about the fact that club officials were not informed as to the arrangements.

“We wouldn’t even have known anything about when and where the draw was taking place if we hadn’t seen a story about it on the RFL website,” said Mr Hamilton.

“We are not sure either when and where the draw will be announced. We have been told to check on the RFL website, but we believe that is less than satisfactory for a last-16 draw in a competition as prestigious as the Carnegie Challenge Cup.”

Should the Roughyeds land a home draw, they will be able to play the last-16 tie at Boundary Park. The games are all being played on the weekend of Sunday, May 10 - before the annual reseeding work on the pitch gets underway.