Roper swaps Rochdale for Oldham

Rochdale scrum-half Steve Roper has joined Oldham on an initial one month’s loan.

Roper, 27, helped the Hornets to promotion from Championship One last season, but has found first team opportunities at Spotland hard to come by since the arrival of Fiji international Ryan Millard.

Oldham coach Scott Naylor said: “For whatever reason, he wasn’t getting games at Rochdale, and when I spoke to him he was keen to come here, to work hard and to prove himself.

“Half-back is a position in which we have not been at our best this season, so by bringing in an experienced man I am giving myself options and putting pressure on the others.

“I can approach things differently and use different tactics with different people. Roper can kick goals and that will come in handy as a bonus if Lewis Palfrey is not on the field.”

Roper had spells at Warrington and Wigan in his academy days, and went on to play in the National Leagues for Widnes and Workington.