Oldham aim at upset

IN FOR A TRY: Neil Roden scores in the Northern Rail Cup quarter-final against Batley last year, but can the Roughyeds go one better tonight?

Featherstone tie presents another semi-final chance

OLDHAM will bid to extinguish the pain of last season by overcoming the odds once more in the Northern Rail Cup tonight.

Tony Benson's side take on Featherstone Rovers in a heavily-anticipated televised quarter-final tie (7.30pm kick off) and will need to again call on the reserves of spirit and determination, which have seen the Roughyeds embarrass three sets of higher-division opposition in the competition across the past two years, in order to make it to the semi-finals.

Oldham reached this stage in 2008 when the competition was structured slightly differently.

The Roughyeds finished second in their group, the undoubted highlight of which was a rousing 18-14 Boundary Park win over Super League-bound Salford.

From there, then-coach Steve Deakin guided his side to another victory over another National League One outfit, Whitehaven, in the last 16. Having gone on to grind out a 16-6 home win over the Cumbrians, Oldham's reward was a quarter-final against Batley.

However, it was a highly frustrating afternoon for the club at Mount Pleasant. The Roughyeds looked all set to upset the NL1 side late on in the game as a stirring comeback, in which man-of-the-moment Neil Roden skipped over for a try, ended with Mick Nanyn diving across the line.

However, the big centre was cruelly adjudged to have lost control of the ball in the act of touching down.

Instead of being 22-18 up with a kick to come, the visitors still trailed by two and a converted Bulldogs try three minutes from time ended all hopes of a last-four appearance.
This year, having done superbly to progress from a tough 10-team pool stage thanks in no small part to a sparkling 22-20 win at top Championship side Widnes Vikings, Oldham have swept straight into the quarter-finals and will be hoping to go at least one stage further to land a spot in the last four.

Nobody in the Oldham camp is under any illusions as to just how well the team will need to perform to pull off another shock tonight.

Featherstone, who defeated the Roughyeds in the National League Two play-off final of 2007, are currently fourth in the Championship table having made a very positive start to the season.

Rovers can call on plenty of experience and talent. Reliable performers like former St Helens and Widnes man Ian Hardman, dual-code Scotland international winger Jon Steel and former Batley forward Tim Spears have been brought in this year to add to ex-Leeds coach Daryl Powell's squad which contains robust forwards aplenty and a talented scrum-half in Andy Kain.

The Post Office Road club have also made arguably the highest-profile capture of all clubs outside of Super League in snapping up the services of former Leeds, Bradford and Great Britain star Iestyn Harris.

Away from home, Powell's side have lost only once this season in all competitions.

That solitary defeat came up at Craven Park, graveyard for many aspiring sides this year, with Barrow running out 44-12 winners two weeks ago.