Rangers seek home comfort

KEITH BRENNAN believes that Saddleworth Rangers’ home woes are all in the mind.

The Rangers coach has seen his team, normally formidable at Shaw Hall Bank Road in recent years, fall to four consecutive losses and it is a trend he hopes to bring to an end against against Shaw Cross Sharks tomorrow (2.30pm kick off, pitch inspection at 10am to see if game goes ahead).

“It is important we turn up in the right frame of mind,” said Brennan.

“In the games we have lost, it has been mainly down to us beating ourselves rather than the opposition being superior.”

Without a game last week, Rangers welcome back Danny Atherton and Danny Adams to the squad, both now home following their involvement in the recent Police World Cup in Australia.

Half-back Liam Coates could also come into consideration having recovered from injury against a Dewsbury outfit currently sitting second-bottom of the National Conference League division one table with three wins from 12 games played.

However, Rangers will have to wait another couple of weeks for the return of pack pair Emerson Jackman and Matt Bottom.

Oldham St Anne’s, away to Stanningley (2pm) in division one, are missing unavailable trio Danny Earley, Ryan Blake and Chris Carter, but Paul Ashton could be back to dictate at scrum-half.

“Stanningley have had a few good results and seem to be a bit of a different side to that we played last time,” said Saints coach Mick Cashin, on a Leeds side beaten 22-20 at Higginshaw Road earlier this year.

“But we will go there confident we can win, as we do every game.

“We can beat anyone in this league on our day, it is just about getting some consistency together.”

Stanningley sit in fourth place in the table, but enter this game on the back of last week’s 12-8 defeat to previously winless Normanton Knights.

Waterhead coach Mick Slicker wants his team to set off quicker in games.

Last week, he saw his charges succumb 42-4 at impressive division two leaders Milford. Not for the first time this season, though, the visitors allowed the opposition to claim the early exchanges.

“We had another bad start and were poor in the first half,” said Slicker, whose side are at home to Egremont Rangers of Cumbria tomorrow (2pm).

“They were a lot quicker and a lot bigger than us and there are no complaints about the result.

“But in the second half we stepped up a bit, got off our line quicker and showed a bit of character.”

Slicker lost the services of Scott Frost with a dislocated shoulder last week and after a night in hospital the prospect of him playing again this season are in doubt.

Alan Williamson is a long-term absentee, but Will Schofield boosted the side by recovering from a calf strain.