Whitehaven’s next opponents, Oldham Roughyeds, are facing up to a four-match crunch period which could decide their fate in the Championship.

Oldham take on sides in and around them in the League table for after Haven they have games with Sheffield (a), Swinton (h) and Workington (h).

The penultimate game in the regulation season pits them against Bradford at Odsal, and the Bulls won 48-4 at Oldham last Wednesday.

Coach Scott Naylor says: "Sunday is the start of a positive spell of the season for us.

"Whitehaven are similar to us in the division. It's a very big game, an important game and one when we need to be ready for them.

"We've been low on confidence having been through a horrendous run of games at Batley and Dewsbury away, then Bradford midweek, which we didn't need.

"Playing two full time teams in four days is as hard as it gets for us, and the second one being the furthest journey you have to do.

"They sound like excuses, but we just need a bit of time to recover and then can move on.

"We've got through a tough spell, been away a lot from our own ground, but now we have three really interesting home games coming up so we are looking forward to them."

On-loan hooker Lewis Foster will be checked out after receiving a head injury in Oldham’s heavy defeat at London Broncos on Sunday.

Only a few minutes into the game he staggered back into Oldham’s defensive line after making a tackle and was quickly removed from the action and examined by the duty doctor.

He failed the doctor’s head test and could take no further part in the game — an early setback for Scott Naylor’s men, who travelled to the capital without Adam Clay (ankle), Danny Grimshaw (ankle), Steve Roper (calf), Jack Spencer (shoulder) and the latest injury victim, Gary Middlehurst, who has broken a finger.

There are fears that Middlehurst might be out for a few weeks at the height of the squad’s battle to stay in the Championship.

On the plus side for the Roughyeds, former Whitehaven full-back Richard Lepori played the full game in his first taste of the action since damaging a shoulder against Warrington Wolves several weeks ago. He confirmed later that he came through without mishap.

So too did Craig Briscoe, who was making only his second appearance of the season after damaging a knee at Barrow — his former club — in a warm-up game last February.

More positive news for Naylor ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Whitehaven at Bower Fold concerns Gareth Owen, who was sin-binned for a high tackle just before the end at Dewsbury.

The latest sitting of the RFL’s Match Review Panel has concluded that there will be no formal charge against Owen, for whom the yellow card was sufficient punishment.