HORNETS v SWINTON
HORNETS’ coach Bobbie Goulding realises that his side’s 68-26 win over Oldham on Wednesday evening will have attracted quite a bit of attention and that they go into this Northern Rail Cup clash against current Group Two leaders Swinton knowing that this could be the decisive game in the qualifying competition. “When we lost at Swinton we were very poor,” admitted former Great Britain halfback Goulding. “They played well and we played badly.
“But we’re starting to play well and, while we still have some work to do, we’re confident of doing the job this time.”
Goulding believes the winner of this match will eventually top the Group and take the automatic quarter-final placing.
While both Lee Birdseye and Paul Anderson will be ruled out through injury for Sunday, Goulding will have 23 players from which to select his final squad of 17 to play the Lions.
“Competition for places at this club is intense and I’ll name a team later this week,” he added.
Swinton have also ruled out ex-Rochdale prop Paul Southern with a knee injury but Lions’ coach Paul Kidd has added the versatile Safraz Patel to his squad.
“I can’t see many other changes to the side which played in the Powergen Challenge Cup,’’ said Kidd, who has high hopes of keeping his unbeaten record intact.
Star Stat: LEE BIRDSEYE broke two records as Rochdale Hornets ran up a club record score and broke an RL Challenge Cup record that had stood for 91 years.
Rochdale’s 120-4 (21 tries) Powergen Challenge Cup fourth round home defeat of Illingworth amateurs surpassed their previous highest score when they beat York 98-0 (19 tries) in a Northern Ford Premiership home match on 8 April 2001.
The previous highest RL Challenge Cup score came in Huddersfield’s 119-2 (27 tries) first round home defeat of Swinton Park amateurs on 28 February 1914.
The highest score in any British club match is Huddersfield 142 v Blackpool Gladiators 4 (126 tries) in a Regal Trophy home tie on 26 November 1994.
Birdseye’s 18 goals beat the Rochdale record of 14 by Steve Turner in the 92-0 Division two home defeat of Runcorn Highfield on 5 November 1989. The scrum half also scored two tries for a club record 34 points.
The previous points record of 32 was achieved twice by Turner, including in the 1989 match against Runcorn when also scored a try. He equalled the old record in an 80-10 Regal Trophy first round home defeat of Blackpool Gladiators on 31 October 1993 when he scored 12 goals and two tries. Turner was loose forward in the first game and stand off in the second.
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