Roughyeds need to step up to the plate

BEN Davies did not feature in the Summer Bash defeat by Rochdale Hornets

WITH Scott Naylor banished to a seat in the stand and Lee Spencer having left the club after four and a half seasons as Naylor's No.2, Oldham RL players will have to rise up against adversity when they clash with Swinton Lions at Heywood Road, Sale on Sunday (3pm).

Pete Carey will still be there, but the dressing room will have a new voice provided by a man who will need no introduction to the likes of Adam Clay, George Tyson, Adam Neal, Jack Spencer, Gareth Owen, Luke Adamson and Richard Lepori.

Alan Hunte, brought in by the Roughyeds to provide coaching support while Naylor works off his touchline ban in the next two games, spent years at Salford as head of youth development and, for a short time, as head coach.

He will also be assisting Naylor and Carey at training next week, effectively replacing 'Spanner' in the immediate aftermath of his shock decision to walk away from a club and a squad that he helped to guide to promotion in 2015.

Currently out of sorts and passing through choppy waters, Roughyeds might seek additional motivation at Swinton in a collective desire 'to do it for Spanner'.

Team selection will be interesting. Danny Grimshaw and Ben Davies didn't play in the Summer Bash second-half fade-out against Rochdale and since then Roughyeds have recruited young prop Brad Hill on a month's loan from Batley Bulldogs.

The 21-year-old will be in contention for a place in the 17 as will Grimshaw, Davies, Jamel Chisholm and back-row man Adamson, who made his debut at Blackpool after signing from Dewsbury Rams on a contract to the end of the season.

The dual-reg facility will be available too, but it remains to be seen whether Naylor will use it on this occasion.

He won't have the services of on-loan pair Kieran Gill and Tuoyo Egodo, who have both been recalled by Castleford.

"INJURED"

"Apart from those two and the injured Phil Joy and Craig Briscoe, everybody else is in contention," confirmed Naylor.

"Like us, Swinton are coming into the game on the back of a loss and, again like us, they are very strong at home.

"We expect a difficult game, but there are no easy ones in this division and that's what makes it such a compelling competition."

Oldham (from): Turner, Clay, Tyson, Chisholm, Leatherbarrow, Hewitt, Gee, Neal, Spencer, Langtree, Thompson, Davies, Burke, Owen, Hughes, Grimshaw, Ward, Lepori, Bent, Adamson, Hill.