Rochdale chance for Oldham hooker

Scott Mansfield, Oldham’s young hooker, has joined injury-hit Rochdale Hornets on loan, but only after signing a new one-year extension to his Roughyeds contract.

The 20-year-old Mansfield trained with Hornets last night and is expected to go straight into John Stankevitch’s squad for Sunday’s Northern Rail Cup clash with Barrow Raiders at Spotland.

At Oldham he was in a queue for the hooking job alongside John Clough, Danny Whitmore and assistant coach Martin Roden, who doubles up as a player.

In stark contrast Hornets were plunged into a hooking crisis when former Swinton Lions ace Phil Wood, one of their senior men, badly injured a knee in a pre-season game and was ruled out indefinitely.

Stankevitch’s squad has suffered other injury setbacks too and Mansfield’s versatility (he can also play second-row or loose) will ease Rochdale’s woes.

“Scott has gone initially for one month and we will then review the situation,” explained Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton.

He said he and head coach Tony Benson had talked to the player at length and it was agreed that he needed to be playing first-team rugby to take him to the next stage of his development.

“We don’t see that happening for Scott at Oldham right now,” added the chairman, “but by going to Hornets on loan he is helping them, helping himself and helping us.

“It has been stressed to Scott that we are in favour of this for one reason only – to advance his development which in the longer term will benefit him and benefit Oldham.

“To reflect that and to show our commitment to him we have offered him a one-year extension to his contract which he has happily signed.

“He’s a great lad and he is desperately keen to make his mark at Oldham. That’s why we have handled it this way.”

Tom Wood-Hulme, the powerful 20-year-old prop who has caught the eye in Benson’s senior squad, will figure in tonight’s reserve team friendly against Dewsbury Rams at Whitebank (7.45pm kick off). It is felt he will benefit from more game time.

Much of the pre-season work had already been done when he signed although he has played in each of the four first-team games so far, including friendlies, as an impact forward coming off the bench.

Reserves (from): Nield, Bridge, Williams, Fogarty, Robinson, Connick, Dallimore, Barber, Thompson, Crosby, Knight, Ward, Dean, Cadd, Thomas, Barrowclough, Marsden, Hunt, Langtree, Brookes, Smith, Wood-Hulme.

Said coach John Hough: “We will have a lot of new signings on view and everyone will be keen to make an early impression.”

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