Roughyeds wait for Highton test

OLDHAM head into the important game at local rivals Swinton with a clean bill of health on the injuries front, save for Paul Highton.

The veteran vice-captain is still feeling the sore calf that kept him out of the front row in last week’s 22-16 home win over Hunslet and, though he is in coach Tony Benson’s provisional 20-man squad for the game, will be checked out in training tomorrow morning.

Richard Mervill misses out on the Sedgley Park clash due to work commitments but there is a place in the squad for Tommy Goulden, who has recovered from an elbow problem to boost options in the back row.

Luke Menzies and Craig Robinson are competing for a start and Neil Roden is involved, but Stevie Gibbons drops out having left the club earlier this week.

The Roughyeds are on the hunt for a fourth successive victory in Co-operative Championship One, a sequence which started with a 52-36 win over Swinton at Boundary Park a month ago.

However, Benson is expecting a tough game against very capable opposition who recently pushed unbeaten leaders Dewsbury close.

“They are a good attacking side who score a lot of points,” the Oldham coach said. “They have improved since the last time we played them and have a few new faces on board. But we are ready to take the game to them.”

Oldham (from): O’Connor, Ballard, Reilly, St Hilaire, Greenwood, Onyango, J Coyle, T Coyle, Roden, Boults, I’Anson, Highton, Menzies, Robinson, Goulden, Allen, Baines, Roberts, Joseph.


OLDHAM’S reserves picked up a first win of the season last night, defeating Dewsbury 23-6 away from home.

Gary Sykes and Wayne Kerr both turned out in the victory, which lifts the side off the bottom of the Reserve Team First Division. Try scorers were Luke Sutton, Jamie Knight, Shaun Robinson and Sykes, with Mark Smith kicking three goals and Austin Barraclough a drop-goal.

Chris Hough played at scrum-half following his release from Rochdale.