Hornets eager to expose flaws in derby showdown

Here's what Oldham Evening Chronicle reporter Roger Halstead says about Sunday's clash

OLDHAM, unbeaten in four games at Hurst Cross, will face their most demanding test yet when derby rivals Rochdale Hornets visit on Sunday.

In the build-up to what has all the makings of a closely-contested derby duel, however, Hornets boss Martin Hall will be thumping out a similar message to his men in red, white and blue.

Despite an impressive record of six wins and a draw from eight outings, Hornets have not played consistently well so far and have failed to live up to expectations. The departure to Wigan of the multi-talented Danny Sculthorpe has proved a huge loss.

But the defence has also proved suspect at times, as we can gauge from the fact that they have conceded only 25 fewer points in the NFP than Oldham, who have been beaten four times to Rochdale’s once.

Their best league performances were the 24-­20 defeat of Hull KR at Spotland and their 14-­14 draw at Leigh. They also ran Leigh close in the Challenge Cup, slipping to a 24­-20 defeat at Spotland. On the downside, they can’t be happy at having won only 28-­20 at Hunslet, 22­-10 at home to Swinton, 44­-28 against amateurs Farnworth in the cup and, only last Sunday, 32-­22 against Chorley at Spotland.

Can we construe from those results that the defence is dodgy? Or do we look at the scores against Leigh and deduce that they produce their best only when the challenge is at its greatest?

A derby clash normally inspires Rochdale, but against that Oldham can look at their own recent record and go into the match full of confidence and self-belief. They couldn’t have done any more than they did against St Helens in the cup, and they did a professional job to beat a makeshift Gateshead side 54-­2 at Hurst Cross last Sunday.

Hornets, used to the comparatively palatial Spotland, won’t like Hurst Cross. Oldham are used to it now, have grown accustomed to winning there and go into this toughest test yet on the Ashton United soccer ground in the knowledge that, in four previous games, they have scored 30 tries to their opponents’ four.