Gee out – Oldham in wait for Clay

SAMMY Gee has gone down with a back complaint which will keep him out of Oldham's game at London Skolars on Sunday (3pm).

Adam Clay, who has an ankle injury, didn't train last night and he will be assessed again tomorrow before a final decision is made.

Kenny Hughes, Richard Joy, Tom Dempsey and on-loan half-back David Hewitt, none of whom played in the derby triumph against Rochdale, will all be included in the group from which Scott Naylor will select his party to travel.

An early start will be made from Whitebank in anticipation of heavy summer holiday traffic on the long trek to the New River Stadium, which now boasts an artificial pitch.

A similar surface lies in wait for Roughyeds when they go to Newcastle Thunder on August 16.

Provisional squad (excluding dual-reg personnel): Dempsey, Clay, Tyson, Holmes, Palfrey, Roper, Hewitt, Neal, Ward, Owen, Files, Hughes, P Joy, R Joy, Langtree, Crowley, Thompson.

Jake Connor at full-back, Oliver Roberts at centre and Jacob Fairbank at loose-forward were used on dual registration in the 38-18 win against Rochdale Hornets last week, but Connor damaged a knee just after half-time and he will be out for several weeks.

Said Naylor: “We are getting a good squad together, but that inevitably means I have
tough selection decisions to make. “We won’t take Skolars lightly.

“We’ll go down there with the right attitude and the right application and then we’ll see whether we travel well or not.”

STEVEN Nield, who hasn't played since he damaged a knee in the defeat at Keighley at the end of May, has been told he will need an operation to fully reconstruct his left knee.

He will not play again this season.