Promotion remains our target – Baines

CHRIS BAINES: work ethic

CHRIS Baines has seen plenty of ups and downs in his time with Oldham, but nothing can compare with the current state of play for sheer drama.

The only surviving member of the side that lost every league game in the 2006 season — though full-back Paul O'Connor played three matches while on loan at the club from Widnes in the same year — Baines, a product of Warrington’s academy, has been forced to play out in an unfamiliar centre role in the last two games.

That is because the Roughyeds squad has been hit not only by a raft of injuries, but also the transfer of four of the best men at Tony Benson’s disposal to Barrow late last week, all set against a background of disruption at board level.

Against runaway Co-operative Championship One leaders Dewsbury on Sunday it left 24-year-old Baines, the club’s current player of the month, operating in an unfamiliar role at right centre with Tommy Goulden doing likewise on the left.

“It isn’t my first choice as you find you are a bit quieter out there,” Baines admitted.

“At times like this when we are struggling for numbers, you have to just do what is needed.”

Baines felt that the under strength Roughyeds line-up, which included loan signing Andy Boothroyd and a trio of players making their first starts of the year, went well against the Rams.

He also believes that, despite a run of four defeats in five, the squad has within it more than enough talent to rise up and claim victories in the final five league matches of the season — starting with Hornets RL at Boundary Park on Sunday.

“If you look at the bench at Dewsbury we had Jamie I’Anson there and he was joined by three men who hadn’t played all year in Martin Roden, Ben Heaton and Luke Sutton,” Baines added.

“In situations like that you have a choice. You either go into a slump and put your heads down, or you just get on with things and give it your best shot.

“Morale in the camp isn’t necessarily low, like you may expect. Whatever has happened, happened. All we can do is knuckle down.

“If we win every regular season game then we should still finish up in second place.

“Dewsbury have run away with it this season, but we said after playing them that our targets are still easily achievable — there is no getting away from that.

“We are all looking forward to facing Rochdale. We have beaten them twice this season in league and cup matches before we lost in the recent Nines tournament in Blackpool, a performance that we were all disappointed with.

“It is never good to lose to your rivals and we go out there on Sunday with a point to prove.

“They will think they have got every chance in the world of beating us and without that nine-point deduction (for entering administration) they would be only just outside the play-off places.

“It won’t be easy for us — far from it — but if we approach the game properly I believe we can pick up the points.”