McCully, Forber get thumbs-up

CENTRE Mark McCully (knee) and scrum-half Carl Forber (groin), who both missed last week’s win at Workington, have recovered from injury and are included in a 20-man Oldham RL squad for Sunday’s Championship One play-off at Rochdale Hornets (3pm kick-off).

Coach Tony Benson was further buoyed by the medical verdict on teenage centre Matthew Fogarty, who picked up an elbow injury at Workington, but who was also cleared to play at Spotland.

The triple tonic was just what Benson needed as he prepared a Roughyeds squad that will be seeking a sixth

play-off victory in a row (finals apart) going back to the 2008 campaign.

This will be Benson’s third play-off series in charge of Oldham and he has yet to be beaten in the run-up to finals, having guided Roughyeds to the big day at Warrington in both 2009 and 2010.

The one doubt is full-back Ben Heaton, whose ankle injury continues to be monitored. He will be tested again tomorrow, when the squad will regroup for its final briefing, before Benson names his 17.

"We're quietly confident," said the Roughyeds boss, "because we've shown some consistency over the last ten games and we are doing the important stuff in every game. Our three previous wins against them this year, though, will count for absolutely nothing in a sudden-death tie."

Oldham: Bentley, Boults, Bravo, Brocklehurst, Casey, Clough, Dallimore, Fogarty, Forber, Gilchrist, Gillam, Heaton, McCully, Noone, Robinson, M Roden, N Roden, Stenchion, St Hilaire, Whitmore.

Rochdale: English, Bloomfield, Gorton, Pike, Saywell, Hough, Crook, Roper, Cookson, McDermott, Bowman, Newton, Mervill, Donoghue, Samuels, Ashall, Ekis.

THERE will be a bucket collection for the family of former Oldham forward Dana Wilson, who died in a car crash near Warrington last weekend.

Players, spectators and officials will also observe a minute’s silence before the game in honour of the Swinton player.

TICKETS £3 including supper, are still available up to 5pm at the Roughyeds office in Lansdowne Road, Chadderton for tonight’s Extended Scholarship (under-18s) presentation night at the Whitebank.