Recovery mission

TOMMY Goulden’s late ‘try’ against York, which would have clinched victory for Oldham, was chalked off by the video referee.

Town trip offers Oldham chance to bounce back

A TRIP north to face struggling Workington provides the perfect chance for Oldham to inject new life into the bid for promotion.

Tony Benson’s men currently find themselves in fourth place in Co-operative Championship One.

Despite having a game in hand over two of the sides ahead of them in the table, that represents a disappointing position given the talent within the squad.

The latest defeat, a 20-18 reverse at York, could easily have produced three rather than the solitary bonus point had Tommy Goulden’s late ‘try’ been allowed to count by the video referee.

The bare facts state, though, that the Roughyeds have now suffered defeats in four of their last eight games — despite leading in three of those losses at half-time.

The only exception came at the start of that run at home to Dewsbury, with the visitors establishing a 22-0 half-time advantage that decisively took the game away from the Roughyeds.

However, Benson points out that two of those defeats came in cup ties against higher-division opposition. Against Gateshead in the Challenge Cup the Roughyeds led 6-4 at the break, eventually going down 34-16, while against Featherstone, a 12-10 advantage as the sides changed ends turned into a 32-18 loss.

Though the latest example of the trend saw Oldham take an 18-14 lead into the interval at York, Benson rejected the notion that it is a pattern to cause too much concern.

“All those games have been very different,” he said. “Featherstone, for example, speaks for itself in that we had a number of injuries which they targeted in the second half to score tries.

“We have not been going 20 points up at half-time and then losing, it has been a matter of edging ahead by a couple at half-time.

“And if you look at the York game, only one try was scored in the whole of the second half while we had a couple disallowed.”

Few expect the Roughyeds to struggle too much against a Workington side with only one league win to their name all season.

Six weeks ago, Town also suffered a dispiriting 24-18 home defeat to London Skolars — a side with no wins in 2009 up to that point and none since.

Though a home game against Keighley next week and a major away test at Dewsbury await the Roughyeds after their journey to Derwent Park, Benson is keen that the players retain their focus on the task at hand so as to avoid an upset.

He added: “From what I have seen, they are a side that is up and down in their form and that means the areas of opportunity for the opposition also changes game-to-game.

“They are definitely a side who can jump up and surprise you if you are not ready. We have to give them the respect they deserve.”

Workington lost 46-18 at Blackpool last week and the bad run of results prompted chairman Dave Bowden to declare his deep disappointment in the local press.

Coach Dave Rotheram at least has a new signing in Chris Frodsham, on loan from Swinton, and the former St Helens utility back is set to make his debut against Oldham.

Workington have also extended the loan of Barrow full-back Brett Carter, but top scorer Stephen Dawes, a winger who has nine tries in 12 appearances this year, is out to a broken ankle.