Benson thirsty for Trophy clash

RARING TO GO: Oldham winger Lucas Onyango is expected to end nine months on the sidelines at Whitehaven on Sunday.

OLDHAM RL Club coach Tony Benson is champing at the bit to see his players in action in Sunday’s SEAT Trophy at Whitehaven following Law Cup frustration.

The traditional pre-season opener against Rochdale Hornets was finally cancelled after three postponements, to the upset of the Roughyeds, who wanted to reschedule a midweek showdown at Whitebank.

Benson has looked on helplessly at the situation and sympathises with the deeply-frustrated members of his squad who want to prove themselves ahead of the return of competitive action next month.

“It has been disappointing for me but more so for my players,” said Benson.

“Every time they thought the Law Cup game was around the corner they prepared themselves mentally and physically, so for it to be postponed several times and eventually cancelled is frustrating.

“They get themselves into the zone and want to get out there to play some rugby.

“It got to the point this week where I had to change around the training so they didn’t get stuck in the same routine. Training without a match is difficult.

“From a personal point of view Sunday cannot come soon enough because I desperately need to look at these players in action. We need to start working on some combinations as soon as possible.

“Obviously I would prefer us to have one match under our belts going into the game against Whitehaven, but that was out of our control and there is nothing we can do about it now.

“The lads know there is plenty of competition for spots in the team and they all want to start playing.”

Miles Greenwood, Tom Rigby, David Cookson, Neil Rigby, Alex Thompson, Jack Reid, Bruce Johnson and Danny Heaton were set to make their debuts against Rochdale last weekend until the call-off.

The new faces will be eager there is no weather interruption this time.

Another man hoping to make his mark at Whitehaven, who are looking to last avenge last year’s defeat in the SEAT Trophy, is winger Lucas Onyango.

He has spent nine months on the sidelines recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and Benson admitted the popular Kenyan has been as frustrated as anyone by the disruption to pre-season preparations.

He added: “Lucas has been out for so long and he just wants minutes on the pitch, so it has been difficult for him.

“The weather forecast isn’t too bad for Sunday so we have high hopes the fixture will go ahead and some of these players can get started.”