Whitebank will hold no fears for Lions

Scott Naylor

SCOTT Naylor has dismissed suggestions that Swinton will be intimidated by Whitebank and by Oldham’s phenomenal record on the ground other clubs love to hate.

Roughyeds go into Sunday’s game having lost only one league game at home in the last 26, stretching back to April 2013.

But that, says the Oldham coach, is an irrelevance. With two games to play, Naylor’s men head League One with 34 points — three more than third-placed Swinton. Oldham have won their last 11 games; Swinton their last nine.

Naylor said: “Playing at home is an advantage. We enjoy playing at Whitebank and, in the main, other teams don’t. But we’re talking here about Swinton Lions — a hugely experienced side who had three seasons in the Championship before coming down.

“Swinton have won everywhere else this season so why would they be worried about playing at Whitebank? They’ll be coming expecting to win. Stats like ours count for nothing in the heat of battle.”

Naylor’s big concern is how best to compensate for the loss of the suspended Sammy Gee and Adam Neal.

He added: “They’ve been top players this year. They’ll be a big loss. It will be difficult without them, but we’ve just got to get on with it.”

Naylor will pick from 21. There will be no team announcement until an hour before kick-off, but he has confirmed that new-boy Will Hope, signed on deadline day but still waiting for his debut, will be in a provisional 19-man squad.