Forber delight at new loan deal

CARL FORBER: the scrum-half will stay at Oldham for the rest of the season.

SCRUM-HALF Carl Forber will remain on loan to Oldham RL Club for the rest of the season.

Roughyeds have agreed a new deal with Swinton to further extend the goalkicking half-back’s stay at the Whitebank, to the delight of Forber and Oldham boss Tony Benson.

A 72-hour recall clause, part of the previous agreement, remains intact.

That apart, 26-year-old Forber says it’s a big weight off his mind to know that he can concentrate on Oldham’s end-of-season push for play-off success with his own immediate future mapped out.

This latest boost for Roughyeds comes less than a week after a similar deal was sealed with Leeds Rhinos to keep up-and-coming 21-year-olds Callum Casey and Danny Bravo to the end of the year.

“Each of our three loan men has fitted in brilliantly and contributed massively,” said Benson. “I was delighted to get the Leeds boys for the late-season run-in and I’m chuffed that we can keep Carl as well. He is a very important part of our plans.”

The return to training of young prop Liam Gilchrist, who has been away for five weeks with Great Britain Students in Australia (see Page 32), also comes as a timely tonic for Roughyeds, who clash with title-chasing Keighley Cougars at Whitebank on Sunday (3pm).

Forber, meanwhile, has revealed that Roughyeds have targeted five wins from their five remaining games against Keighley, Workington and South Wales at home and Rochdale and Workington away.

In all competitions they have won 10 of their 12 home games and they remain unbeaten at the Whitebank since the end of March.

In that time they have seen off London Skolars, Rochdale, Doncaster, South Wales and Whitehaven, averaging 42 points per game.

Forber said: “It’s not being greedy to aim for five from five, given that three are at home where we usually play well and one is just up the road at Rochdale, where home and away form usually counts for nothing in a derby.

“Keighley will be tough opponents on Sunday, but there is no reason why we can’t win on home soil and with our fans giving us solid support.

“On a personal note I haven’t been on a losing Oldham side at the Whitebank and that’s a record I would love to extend to the end of the season.”

Commenting on the extension of his loan deal, Forber said he was “made up”.

“It’s something I’ve been trying to get sorted for the last two months,” he added. “At Oldham I’m enjoying my rugby again, and that’s what it's all about.

“We should make the play-offs and then everything is in our own hands.”

Roughyeds reserves, unbeaten at home since mid-March, entertain Whitehaven at the Whitebank on Saturday (2.30pm), having won five and drawn one of their last six matches.