Oldham targeting league return for injured Langtree

Photo: Tim Bradley

HEADING FOR A FALL: Oldham's George Tyson forces a Swinton Lions rival to the floor in yesterday's warm-up game at Sale.

DANNY Langtree's tweaked hamstring, which forced him out of the Swinton game after only 60 seconds, will cause him to miss Oldham's second pre-season outing at Barrow on Sunday (2pm) and it will be touch and go whether he is fit for the Law Cup derby against Rochdale at Bower Fold seven days later.

"The main thing is to get him right for the first league game on February 5," said assistant coach Lee Spencer.

Speaking after a disappointing 32-14 defeat, 'Spanner' said injuries and illness, plus a failure on this occasion to get dual-reg players from Huddersfield Giants, had resulted in Roughyeds kicking off their pre-season campaign when down to the 'bare bones'.

ON-LOAN

Danny Grimshaw, Nathan Chappell, Adam Clay and on-loan Keiran Gill didn't play.

Props having to turn out in the second-row, he said, was part of the reason for suspect defence on the left side.

"There are a few players to come back in," he added. "But we've seen that we have a lot of work to do; that's what practice games are for.

"We made far too many unforced errors and a number of times we were first to come out of the arm wrestle just as it looked as if we were starting to get on top.

"Despite our problems with numbers I thought the lads who played were on a par with Swinton's players, but you can't do much when your completion rate in yardage sets is as poor as ours was and you keep spilling possession.

"We had at least 60 per cent of the game's defending to do, probably even more, but we still looked the fitter side at the end.

"Scott (Leatherbarrow) had a nightmare kicking game. He put three kicks into touch on the full, but he isn't going to do that again.

"We completed at 100 per cent in the last 20 minutes, but at no more than 42 per cent for the previous hour and that's not good enough by far.

"But we know what's needed and we'll be working hard this week to put things right. I'm sure there will be a big improvement at Barrow."