Penalty count irks Oldham coach Naylor

SCOTT NAYLOR

SCOTT Naylor will be asking the Rugby Football League to identify differences between what Featherstone were doing and what Oldham were doing in an evenly-contested game which Rovers edged 8-6.

Referee Tom Grant awarded the home side 11 penalties, including six in a row, either side of half-time.

In stark contrast, Featherstone were penalised only five times all match - stats which puzzled the Roughyeds boss.

They weren't all given for holding down, hands-in or trying to slow down opposition recycling via the play-the-ball, but most of them were.

Said the Oldham boss: "I don't understand why there was so much difference in the penalty count, but it will be up to me now to ask questions of the RFL and see what answers I get."

Buoyed by a gutsy performance which deserved at least a draw, Naylor looked ahead to Sunday's visit of London Broncos to Bower Fold (3pm) and said: "This is the best squad of players we've had at Oldham for many years and I believe we'll make good progress this year.

"Last year we were nervous when we played Broncos in our first game at Championship level, but we are far better equipped to take them on now.

"It's all about being the same team as the one that did well at Featherstone and believing not only in ourselves, but in the things we work on constantly to improve ourselves."

'DISAPPOINTING'

Vice-captain Scott Leatherbarrow commented: "Regardless of the disappointing result at Featherstone, we've shown we can live with teams like Sheffield and Featherstone and that will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season."

After two games, Oldham lie just outside the top four in fifth place.

London won't have many fans at Bower Fold and the Roughyeds players see it as an opportunity for Oldham supporters to turn up in numbers and help them to get over the line in the same way that 1,700 Featherstone fans got behind their team at The Big Fellas Stadium.