Kingstone Press League 1 Preview: Oldham v Rochdale Hornets

Oldham coach Scott Naylor was very happy with his side’s win over York City Knights which kept them at the top of the table.

“It was an important game and apart from maybe a blip, I thought we played really well,” he said.

“It was a good mature performance, they are a tough side who are fit, very well organised and obviously well coached. We had to play really well to win and we did, which was pleasing. I don’t think York will lose many games from now until the end of the season.

“It’s the big derby this week and form and everything else goes out of the window. It’s the bounce of the ball and who wants it most. It usually comes down to a few key decisions or a few things that happen in the game that decide the outcome. Hopefully it will be our day.

“It’s an important game in the context of the league. We want to stay where we are and will keep Rochdale behind us if we win, so there’s a bit more riding on it than just a derby match on Sunday.”

Rochdale Hornets coach Ian Talbot said: “We called for an improved performance after the Hemel game and we got it. Although we beat Hemel it wasn’t a good performance so it was very pleasing to go up to Newcastle and come away with two points.

“We had to hang on at the end when they put us under all kinds of pressure. It was pretty similar to the game at Spotland earlier in the season when they came away with a last minute win. But this time we managed to hang on.

“Oldham v Rochdale is a massive derby no matter what tier of the professional game it is. There’s still that intensity, local rivalry and bragging rights up for grabs. They are a quality team who are sitting at the top of the competition at the moment but we’ll be going there hopefully to peg back a couple of points and get a little bit closer to the summit ourselves.”

Prop John Cookson will be out for a while with a broken arm