Reserve-game blow adds to Benson woes

OLDHAM RL coach Tony Benson’s selection headache has taken a turn for the worse following the postponement of tomorrow’s reserves trip to Featherstone Rovers.

Established members of the first team squad who are yet to feature in pre-season, including Neil Roden, Paul Noone and Lucas Onyango, were all due to play, as was new signing Paul Ballard.

But a frozen playing surface put paid to hopes of the quartet gaining crucial match practice ahead of Sunday’s Northern Rail curtain-raiser at home to Featherstone (3pm).

Chairman Chris Hamilton said: “Tony has to think about the prospect of putting them straight into the team for Sunday.

“They haven’t played in pre-season, which is a blow, but on the other hand they are all experienced players, so it would no be as big a gamble as fielding a youngster who was lacking match sharpness.

“It is a shame the reserves fixture had to be called off, but the pitch is frozen and the forecasts do not anticipate a high enough rise in the temperature during the day.”

The call-off is also a blow for Paul Ashton, who was to take charge of a reserves game for the first time since succeeding John Hough at the end of last season.

His players have been training for several weeks in preparation for the Reserve Team Championship campaign, which gets under way next month.

Injuries will go some way to determining who lines up for Roughyeds in Sunday’s game.

Shaun Robinson is hampered by a strained quad muscle, Mark McCully has a knee injury and Matthew Foggarty returns to hospital next week for a check on his sore hand.

A knock to Onyango’s leg is being looked at, but it is not a recurrence of last season’s Achilles problem and he is available for selection.




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