Sloppy Roughyeds have much to do

HOLDING ON: new Oldham RL captain Gareth Owen tries to halt a Swinton Lions attack

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LIKE last year at Keighley in the first of three warm-up games, Oldham showed they have a lot of work to do before the start of the real stuff when Sheffield arrive at Bower Fold on February 5.

Eagles' new chairman Chris Noble was at Sale, as was Rochdale coach Alan Kilshaw, who was spying ahead of the Law Cup derby at the same venue on Sunday week, January 22.

Neither would lose sleep last night on the evidence of what they saw here, notwithstanding that both have been in the sport long enough to know you can't read too much into games like this.

GATES

Swinton were the better side and way ahead of the visitors in terms of being ready to approach the Championship starting gates in less than four weeks.

Just on numbers, they had a big advantage, using 21 players, 19 of them in the first-half alone.

Roughyeds began with 18 and lost Danny Langtree with a hamstring injury in the first minute, reducing them to 17 for the entire game.

They then had to play props in the back-row and that might cause concern, given that of the players who didn't figure because of injury or illness only Nathan Chappell has second-row experience and he may be required in the backs.

Scott Naylor's men went into the game without new-boy Chappell, Danny Grimshaw, Kieran Gill and Adam Clay.

SPEEDY

Steven Nield had his first outing in 19 months at centre and Harry Warburton, a speedy young trialist from Folly Lane, was on the wing.

By and large Warburton did well, scoring a super try near the end with a flying finish to the corner flag.

Scott Turner, George Tyson and Liam Thompson were Oldham's better performers, while two-try full-back Jack Murphy, halves Chris Atkin and Grant Gore and second-rower Matt Sarsfield showed up well for the Lions.

They scored six tries and won handsomely because they tackled better than Oldham, used the ball more effectively, backed-up more efficiently and were more comfortable in possession. Roughyeds, were sloppy for long periods.

They were poor defensively, particularly on the left edges, and they made so many unforced errors that they spent the whole of the first half pinned in their own half under heavy fire.

It was difficult, therefore, to assess the attacking prowess of new forwards Adam Neal and Ben Davies or the potential of new half-backs Scott Leatherbarrow and David Hewitt.

Hewitt is at his best when there are quick play-the-balls, his forwards get on a roll and he can bring his 'sniffer' qualities into play. That was never going to happen here.

Leatherbarrow used the ball with speed and precision to fashion tries for Tyson and Warburton out on the right, but his debut will be remembered for his wayward kicking in putting the ball out on the full three times.

As an experienced half-back, he is unlikely to do that again, but those mistakes summed up Oldham's disappointing first day back.

Matt Gardner, Sarsfield, Murphy (two), Chris Hankinson and Andy Bracek scored tries for the lively Lions, while Atkin landed four goals.

SCORED

After trailing 10-0 at half-time, Roughyeds scored second-half tries by Tyson, Joe Burke and Warburton, the first and last after quick hands right to create space wide out and the Burke try thanks to a defence-splitting grubber kick by new skipper Gareth Owen.

Hewitt failed to convert Tyson's try from out near touch, while Leatherbarrow improved Burke's score from the other side of the field, but failed narrowly from the right after the Warburton try.

Things can only get better.