Kingstone Press Championship One Preview: York City Knights v Oldham

Correspondent

Qualifying semi-final

James Haynes could return as York City Knights aim for an 11th successive win when they host Oldham in Sunday’s Kingstone Press Championship One play-off clash.

Only Iain Morrison is ruled out for the hosts, but coach Gary Thornton has warned his side about Oldham’s capabilities.

Thornton said: “I was at their game against Hunslet last week, and Oldham played really well in the second half.

“This will be a massive challenge for us. They’ve got a big set of forwards, and that’s where the battle needs to be won.

“But while we understand the threat that Oldham pose, we’ll focus on ourselves and our own strengths.

“We need to turn up and be very enthusiastic. We’re looking forward to it. We know what we need to do.”

Oldham coach Scott Naylor remains without Brett Robinson, who is struggling with an ankle problem.

Naylor said: “We’ve got to play with the bottle and the character we had in abundance at Hunslet.

“We showed a level of maturity we didn’t have in last year’s play-offs, and that augurs well.”