Tom out to make up for lost time

AFTER missing four months of Oldham's exciting League One season with a knee injury, Tom Ashton is keen to be heavily involved on the last lap of the promotion push.

The former Sheffield Eagles centre admitted he was was nervous about making his return to rugby at Hemel Stags after 16 weeks of anguish and therapy.

Despite a lack of match practice and fitness in his first game since the injury - at South Wales Scorpions on April 19 - the 23 year old played the full 80 minutes without problems.

"It was great to be back on the field, but it was a very hot day and I found it tough going," said Ashton.

“I took an early knock on the knee, but it stood up to that and I gradually gained confidence. I’m just delighted I’ve got the first one out of the way. I’ll feel more comfortable next time. It’s nearly four months since I played and that's a long time to be out.”

Although delighted to see his table-toppers rattle up 70 points, coach Scott Naylor was just as happy with his side's willingness to work when Hemel had the ball.

“We’ll always score points, but key to where we’ll finish in the league will be how we perform in defence,” he said.

Oldham head to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, having conceded only 26 points in their last four games while scoring 163 themselves. Those opponents - two of them potential play-off rivals - managed only five tries in 320 minutes of rugby, while Roughyeds ran in 27.

Added Naylor: “We have four games to go until the end of the regular season, and each one of our opponents will raise their game to try to halt our winning streak.”