West Wales withdrawal means only nine home games for the rest

Clubs have agreed that each team will play 18 fixtures - nine at home and nine away

Roughyeds will have only nine home league matches in the coming season following the withdrawal from Betfred League One of West Wales Raiders.

Clubs have agreed that each team will play 18 fixtures – nine at home and nine away – and that rounds originally scheduled for matches against West Wales Raiders will become blank weekends.

The introduction of loop fixture was considered, but with a 22-round fixture list already announced it was felt that it would be too disruptive.

Additionally, with the top team in the table securing automatic promotion it was felt that the introduction of loop fixtures might benefit some clubs while compromising the promotion prospects of others. 

Raiders’ withdrawal also from the Betfred Challenge Cup will allow an invitation to two additional teams from the Impact Performance National Conference League – Barrow Island and Crosfields – to join the first round draw at Wembley next month.

There will now be 18 ties in the first round, which will be played in mid-February, with the winners joining the 10 Betfred League One clubs and 10 from the NCL Premier Division in the Second Round draw.

Oldham play two pre-season games at the Vestacare, against Widnes Vikings on January 22 and Rochdale Hornets, for the Law Cup, on January 29, both kicking off at 3pm.

They are then without a game until round two of the Challenge Cup on the weekend of February 25 and 26.

The withdrawal of West Wales Raiders gives them a free Sunday on February 19, when they were due to play in Llanelli, and on July 30 when the Raiders were due to come here.

The league programme now starts on Sunday, March 5 with the visit of London Skolars to the Vestacare Stadium.

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