Naylor issues guarded praise

GROUNDED: Oldham centre Sam Gee is brought down by the All Golds defence.

SCOTT Naylor always believed Oldham would have to examine their own mental attitude before going out to test Gloucester’s.

He was acutely aware the game was a potential banana skin - and firmly believed the All Golds would relish a chance to claim the prized scalp of his high-flying Roughyeds as their first ‘northern’ win this season. They had, after all, come close in previous games.

But Naylor was delighted with the 42-30 win: “Another win, another step in the right direction,” was the Oldham boss’s opening shot before he admitted he wasn’t over-enamoured of his side’s performance.

“The first half was very good. We were patient and we gradually got on top, scoring some good tries in going in at half-time on a 30-12 lead.

“We extended it to 36-12 early in the second half, but then our performance seemed to drop a bit and in no time we found ourselves under pressure.

“Gloucester deserve huge credit. They are a vastly improved outfit and the coach, Lee Greenwood, is doing a fabulous job.