OLDHAM coach Scott Naylor will pick from a position of strength when he sits down to choose his line-up for tomorrow afternoon’s holiday clash with league leaders Hunslet at the Vestacare Stadium, kick off 3pm.

He will have 23 players to go at, including new old boy Danny Langtree plus three senior regulars who did not figure in the defeat at Newcastle last time out – full-back Ritchie Hawkyard and front-rowers Phil Joy and Ben Davies.

Given table-topping opponents, the Langtree return, a good weather forecast and the importance of the match in terms of the jostle for position at the top of the table, club officials expect a decent crowd.

“We had 17 players available for the Widnes cup-tie and 18 at Newcastle, so it will be nice to be picking from a strong squad for this very important game,” said the Roughyeds boss, adding: “I don’t think it will do any harm to shake things up a little bit.”

Naylor was full of praise for the squad for the way they responded to his harsh words after the defeat at Newcastle, in a game in which they led 22-6 after half an hour.

“The boys have taken on board what they were shown and what they were told and they have trained really well since,” he said. “I’m expecting a very good performance. We’ve a lot going for us right now and the mood in the camp is a very positive one.

“I know it’s tight at the top with few points separating a clutch of clubs, but I’m more concerned with performance than position. Get the performance right and the league position will take care of itself.

“We’ve lost two in the league but we shouldn’t have lost either. We should be top of the league right now, but we’re not because of ourselves and because we can’t see games out when we’re in the lead. Those are the things we’ve been working on.”