Forber impresses on debut to sting Hornets

CARL Forber got his loan spell with Oldham RL Club off to a flying start with a 14-point performance in the Roughyeds' 38-6 Good Friday triumph against Rochdale Hornets at the Whitebank Stadium.

In at half-back in place of Mick Diveney, the 26-year-old Swinton Lions pivot crowned his Roughyeds debut by scoring five goals and a try in a hugely impressive derby-day demolition job by Tony Benson's men.

Dovetailing nicely with Neil Roden in midfield, Forber used the first half to settle into a new side before taking on more responsibility after the break when he scored his first try in Oldham colours as well as helping to create further scores by Matthew Fogarty, Andy Isherwood and Lucas Onyango.

Red-hot Roughyeds dazzled in the holiday sunshine to score seven tries in total — three of them beauties — while also defending magnificently to restrict Hornets to one try in the 65th minute.

Props Dave Ellison and Jason Boults were both in top form while leading from the front, but this was a 1-to-17 performance by Oldham in which Onyango, Fogarty, Isherwood and loose-forward Paul Noone also caught the eye.