Oldham at full strength for Hornets test

Roughyeds coach Tony Benson will pick from a full strength squad as he prepares for Sunday’s mouth-watering Co-operative Championship One local derby.

He said: “These fixtures are always big games. Our aim now is building a squad going into the play-offs, making sure everyone’s had plenty of game time and knows what we’re doing.

“We made a good start last week and we want to continue that.”

He added: “For Rochdale, they’re fighting for a spot. It’s a big game for them. These local derbies remind me a lot of Test matches. There’s a lot more vigour in these than other games – I’m glad we’ve got two weeks to recover. People are playing for places coming into the play-offs.”

Damien Reid and Danny Samuel could return for Rochdale Hornets, but experienced campaigner Phil Wood is a major doubt.

Rochdale coach John Stankevitch said: “There’s a lot at stake in terms of league position and bragging rights. We’ve been beaten both times against Oldham this year.

“We’ve not had that element of luck against them, but we’ve seen what they can do and we’re confident we can go there and get a result.

“If we can go there and get a win then we’re one step closer to finishing in third place. We’ve got two tough games left – Oldham and Blackpool – but we’re really confident we can get two good results.”