Swinton prepare for trophy presentation

Neil Holland and Ian Watson are both unavailable for Swinton Lions as Steve McCormack’s side prepare for their presentation of the Co-operative Championship One trophy.

The Lions have already clinched the title, with some observers suggesting McCormack could find it difficult to motivate his team for a game in which Swinton have nothing to gain.

But McCormack insisted: “All we’re bothered about is the performance. We want to make sure we finish well, and we don’t want to take our foot off the pedal.”

Rochdale Hornets‘ Phil Wood is a confirmed absentee, with coach John Stankevitch deciding to omit him for this week’s game.

Stankevitch said: “Phil’s knee is fine, but he’s not been able to maintain the intensity that’s needed. He’s physically and mentally fatigued – that’s not through anyone’s fault, it’s just that he didn’t have a pre-season after his injury.”

He added: “Damien Reid won’t play either. He hasn’t turned up at training this week.”

Gary Middlehurst retains from holiday, leaving Stankevitch with a “selection headache”.

He said: “I’ve got six players to consider for the bench. Two will be disappointed, but it’s not through anything they’ve done – I just can’t pick six guys for the bench.

“This is a funny fixture for us. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned, and I’m purely worrying about us.

“We should have beaten Swinton a couple of months ago, and I’m confident ahead of Friday’s match. We need to win, because if we don’t win we could finish as low as sixth. If we win convincingly, we could finish third depending on other results. It’s a massive game for us.”