Oldham search for a spark

Scott Naylor

COACH Scott Naylor wants his Oldham players to get out of the losing habit - and fast - as they continue their Kingstone Press Championship survival fight.

The Roughyeds trailed 20-0 at home to already-relegated Bradford Bulls, before staging a comeback which almost grabbed a dramatic victory.

However, the 20-16 loss at Bower Fold means Oldham have now only won one of their last 14 games and remain second-bottom in the table.

All of the Bulls' points arrived before the half-hour mark was up.

So why the big change after 30 minutes?

"If you can find somebody who can give me the answer, they can have my job," said a frustrated Naylor.

"At present we've just got a group of lads who are losing games, and they are just looking for any kind of little thing that sparks them or puts a bit of fire in their bellies - just that bounce of a ball or a decision.

"Defensively our structure isn't that bad and it's just a little bit of that desire that's been missing.

"It's not because of them individually as people, it's just with losing games it's hard to get that back. Losing becomes a habit, it's an annoying and frustrating thing in sport, and we're just looking for that spark.

"I think in the second half against Bradford we got it, and I'm just hoping we can take that into the last five games."

Naylor will have George Tyson back from suspension for Sunday's trip to Batley, while he will run the rule over Kenny Hughes and Liam Thompson when the players meet up for training tonight.

Hughes was an early casualty last weekend - he came off with a dead leg - and Thompson missed the Bradford because of ongoing treatment on a sternum problem.

With the academy season over, Naylor will have eight under-19 players from Huddersfield Giants available to him for the remainder of the Shield campaign.

"They aren't here to make up the numbers, they add important competition," said Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton.

"It also means training sessions, which have also suffered because of the injury situation, can be more intense."