Looks familiar

OLDHAM will go head to head with two of their former stalwarts in tomorrow’s derby at Spotland.

Starring for Rochdale this season are former Roughyeds favourites Paul O’Connor and Chris Baines.

Between them they made more than 200 appearances in Oldham jerseys, O’Connor scoring 53 tries in 108 games and Baines chipping in with 16 tries in 94 outings.

Baines left at the end of the 2009 season to join Keighley Cougars and had two seasons there before moving to Spotland last autumn.

O’Connor's last season at Oldham was the 2010 campaign, after which he took a year out, had a shoulder reconstruction and re-emerged as one of Hornets coach John Stankevitch’s principal close-season captures.

He was always a popular full-back at Oldham where he won numerous player-of-the-year awards in his five seasons at the club.

Now, he is eagerly looking forward to showcasing his talents against his former club.

He said: “I would be lying if I told you that I regarded the Oldham game as ‘just another match’.

“I was at Oldham a long time. I’ll be playing against old friends, among them Tony Benson.

“I have a lot of respect for Tony as a coach so it will be good to catch up with him and, hopefully, to show him what I can still do.”
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