Roberts in frame for Roughyeds

YOUNG Huddersfield forward Oliver Roberts is included in a provisional 20-man Oldham squad for Sunday’s League One top-of-the-table clash at Keighley Cougars.

He has played only once before for Roughyeds, on the opening day of the season when he was Josh Crowley’s second-row partner in a 42-6 win against Coventry Bears.

Roberts (20) is a dual-reg replacement for his Giants team mate Josh Johnson, who is suspended. With Gareth Owen and George Tyson similarly sanctioned, Scott Naylor will also be examining the claims of Richard Joy, Tom Dempsey, Jack Holmes, Adam Files and Jon Ford, who has returned to Whitebank on loan after several weeks with his parent club, Salford Red Devils.

Naylor’s final 17 won’t be known until the team sheet is posted an hour before the 3pm kick-off. Files didn’t train last night because of a stomach upset, but he is expected to be fully fit by Sunday.

“Keighley are a fancied side with home advantage so all the pressure is on them,” said Naylor “If our attitude is as good as it was when we beat Newcastle and if we execute our game plan well, then we'll give ourselves a good chance.

“We have been working hard this week on replicating how we want to play against Cougars and how we think they will play against us. We’ll be fine-tuning at Saturday training and hopefully putting it all together on Sunday.”

Cougars boss Paul March expects to have Rikki Sheriffe and Jode Sheriffe back after injury, but James Feather, his captain, will have to come through a post-concussion test before he is cleared to play.

Former Bradford Bulls star Rikki Sheriffe has given Oldham a public warning: “We mean business and we want promotion for Danny Jones.”

His club is still coming to terms with the loss of half-back Jones, who died from a cardiac arrest a month ago after being taken ill on the field at London Skolars.