'Month from hell'

ON THE ATTACK . . . Sammy Gee runs at the Bradford Bulls line as Oldham strive to get back in the game

SCOTT Naylor has spoken of June as "the month from hell" and the last eight days as "one of the worst weeks I've ever had in rugby."

Talking after the 47-12 loss at bottom club Bradford Bulls, which plunged Oldham to second bottom and into the relegation zone for the first time this year, the Roughyeds head coach said he and the players had to shoulder all the responsibility.

It was, he said, now up to him and the players to get the club out of the bottom two in the 11 games that are left.

Oldham had five games in June and they lost them all - Swinton away (4-26), Hull KR home (24-32), Halifax home (12-30), Dewsbury Rams home (16-20), Bradford Bulls away (12-47).

LOST

They also lost their three in May, making it eight defeats in a row since their last win at Dewsbury at the end of April.

Said Naylor: "We are in the bottom two - and fighting. Hopefully, we've hit the bottom of our dip and we can now start climbing out of it.

"The reasons we are in this position lie with me and the players, and nobody else.

"It's probably been one of the worst weeks I've had in all my many years in rugby as player and coach.

"If something could have gone wrong this week it has done.

"We've had more injuries than in the last four years put together.

"To make matters worse all the clubs around us are having a good month and we are having the month from hell.

"The worst thing we can do now is sulk, hide or make excuses. We have to fight for all we're worth to get out of this situation and we must all be accountable."

Danny Grimshaw (hamstring), Scott Turner (concussion) and Gareth Owen (shin bone) were injured against Dewsbury on Wednesday and three more players, Jack Spencer (groin), Scott Leatherbarrow (shin) and Michael Ward (ankle) were forced to leave the field at Bradford, never to return.

Leatherbarrow was due to have an x-ray today.

After the midweek game (two in four days) several other senior players didn't figure at Bradford, among them George Tyson, Joe Burke and Luke Adamson, so the team that took to the field was much changed and below strength.

Only two points separate Oldham, Dewsbury, Swinton and Rochdale, but the Roughyeds next two games are at Bower Fold against top-four sides Toulouse Olympique and Featherstone Rovers.