Naylor: We'll give it our best shot

Scott Naylor

SCOTT Naylor's relatively small squad of Oldham part-timers, who have to get up and go to work the day after a game, are bracing themselves for the toughest eight days of their sporting lives.

They will play three Championship games in that time, two of them against full-time professionals, only one of them at Bower Fold and the last of the three requiring a trip to London with an early-morning pick-up and a late-night return.

They go to Dewsbury Rams on Sunday (3pm); play Bradford Bulls at home in a twice re-arranged fixture next Wednesday (8pm); and end up in London on the following Sunday to face the Broncos (3pm).

"Three games in eight days is a tall order, but we'll be giving it our best shot," said Naylor, whose Championship new boys are battling to stay in the division on one of the smallest budgets of the 12 clubs involved and despite a long injury list that currently claims eight senior players.

With 15 games still to play ­- eight in the regular season and then seven in the Championship Shield ­- there will be plenty of opportunity for Naylor's men to turn things round after four league defeats in a row.

Apart from Dewsbury's stunning 16-14 win at Bradford, other results in the lower end of the table last weekend went in Oldham's favour with heavy defeats for Workington, Whitehaven, Sheffield Eagles and Swinton Lions.

"That's okay, but I'm more interested in what we do than what the others do," said Naylor (pictured). "We've got to start winning again. It will all boil down to how many wins we end up with. I don't want us to be looking over our shoulders all the time at other results."

By a strange twist of irony, Roughyeds have unwittingly brought the totally unreasonable demands of the next few days on themselves and by their own success.

When the Bradford home game was first postponed on March 6 because of snow it was provisionally rescheduled for Sunday, May 8, the day set aside for sixth-round Challenge Cup ties, providing both clubs were no longer involved in the knock-out competition.

SENSATIONAL

Bradford weren't, but Oldham played Warrington Wolves in the last 16 of the cup after their sensational 36-22 win at Hull KR in the previous round.

There were no more free weekends so the Bulls come to Bower Fold next Wednesday, providing Roughyeds with their first home game in four and a half weeks and one which club officials hope will attract the biggest league-match gate of the season if not the best overall in 2016.