Skipper tonic for derby duel

Neil Roden

NEIL Roden has given Oldham RL Club a boost ahead of tomorrow’s derby clash at Rochdale (1pm kick-off).

The Roughyeds skipper missed the Barrow game because of a sore back, but he has since passed a fitness test to give coach Tony Benson a major selection poser in the key stand-off half position.

“Neil is back in contention,” said Benson. “But I now have a very tough decision to make because Danny Whitmore did a great job for us as the captain’s stand-in last Sunday.

“Apart from long-standing injury victims like John Gillam and Luke Stenchion, I’ll be picking from a fully-fit squad and I’ll have some tough decisions to make, none more so than the one at stand-off.”

The Oldham boss underlined the merits of the squad system in team selection and stressed that any success Roughyeds might achieve this year would be reward for the entire playing staff, including the reserves team.

“This season is about far more than the 17 players who are on the field in any particular match,” he said.

“Up to now we have been pretty consistent in our performances, and our results, and that’s because we have assembled a good strong squad that is a nice mix of youth and experience.

“The players in the reserves are pushing for places and that keeps everybody on their toes and plays a big part in the levels of performance that we are trying to achieve with each passing game.”

Benson will finalise his line-up for Spotland at training tonight.
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