Onyango is staying optimistic

SPEED DEMON: Lucas Onyango goes on the charge for Oldham during the 36-18 defeat to Hunslet on Sunday.

FOUR wins from the next four and Oldham are up.

Sounds easy when it is put like that — particularly when, it is fair to suggest, optimism is not overflowing in and around the Roughyeds camp at present ahead of the play-offs.

A run of three defeats in six matches at the back end of the Co-operative Championship One season has followed the departure of four key players to Barrow.

The latest loss, a determined yet error-ridden 36-18 reverse at Hunslet, didn’t affect the final league position of fourth, but cast a little more doubt on Oldham’s chances of reaching a third successive play-off final this season.

The lingering uncertainty that has been hanging over the club like an angry black cloud, with majority shareholder Bill Quinn announcing his intention to pull out of the club mid-season, has not helped the morale of the squad.

But if any player was ever guaranteed to at least fetch a smile, to his own face as well as those of Roughyeds supporters, it is crowd pleaser Lucas Onyango.

The happy-go-lucky Kenyan has bounced back from a period out of favour to take advantage of the right-wing hole left by the departure of Andy Ballard.

Onyango has started the last eight matches, scoring five tries and earning two Chronicle man-of-the-match nominations — and all despite having to deal with having FIVE different partners at centre in that time due to injuries.

“When you play on the wing you normally find that you have a centre partner alongside you for some time but lately there have been a lot of changes,” said Onyango.

“For me it is no different though, as everyone who has been playing on my inside is a good player.

“I try to make sure that in every game I play, I score. If I don’t, I beat myself down about it afterwards.

“Scoring helps build confidence which helps you to play well in the next game so I hope it carries on.”

The 28-year-old concedes that the team has not been at its best of late, with the defeat at Hunslet marred by poor discipline and too many missed tackles.

Onyango, who is bidding to gain promotion via a play-off final for a third successive year with the Roughyeds, hopes that the tide of fortune will turn for the visit of Swinton in an elimination play-off at Boundary Park this Sunday.

“We just need that bit of luck that has been missing,” he added.

“Every game from now on is a grand final and every team will do everything they can to play their ‘A’ game. There are no easy matches and we will have to be at our best.

“I believe in the squad we have here. If all the players are fit and everything is right, we can beat any team in the league. At the moment we are having no luck — but in a game like rugby, at some point things will change and the luck will shine on us.

“If you look at it we have now got players like Marcus St Hilaire and Paul Reilly back, everyone is fighting for a place and everyone wants to win.

“This is my third time pushing for promotion and I really hope it will be third time lucky.”

To get to the Warrington final on Sunday, October 4, Oldham will need to first win home matches against Swinton and then beat the winners of Sunday’s Blackpool-versus-Hunslet clash.

Another straight knockout trip to the losers of the Keighley-York game then follows the following week, after which is the all-or-nothing against the winner out of that duo.

Play-off fixtures —

Sunday, September 13: Elimination play-offs: Oldham v Swinton; Blackpool v Hunslet.

Sunday, September 20: Qualifying semi-final, Keighley v York; elimination semi-final, Oldham/Swinton v Blackpool/Hunslet.

Sunday, September 27: Final eliminator (losers of qualifying semi-final v winners of elimination semi-final).

Sunday, October 4 (at Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington): Play-off final (winners of qualifying semi-final v winners of final eliminator).




Presentation evening



THE ROUGHYEDS’ end-of-season presentation night for players and fans will take place at St Herbert’s function room, Broadway, Chadderton on Wednesday, September 30 (7pm for 7.30pm).



Cost per head is £20, which includes four-course meal, entertainment, all the usual presentations and a chance to mix and mingle with both first-team squad players and the players from the reserve team.

For tickets contact the commercial manager Julie Cleave on (0161) 6283677 or by email to juliecorlfc@btconnect.com