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STEVE Deakin, the Oldham coach, will take his squad to the Co-operative National League Two starting gate on the back of two big wins against the British Army in the Carnegie Challenge Cup and against Swinton Lions in the Northern Rail Cup.
 
"I like to think we are now ready for what we feel will be our biggest challenge this season -- the league campaign," said Deaks after the 52-10 victory against the Lions at Sedgley Park on Sunday, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
 
Roughyeds finished second in their NRC group behind Salford and they were rewarded with a home tie in the sudden-death knock-out stages (last 16) against NL1 club Whitehaven at Boundary Park on Sunday,April 6.
 
Before then, however, there's the little matter of the big kick-off in NL2 at Rochdale on Friday (3pm), followed by the first home league game against Hunslet at Boundary Park on Easter Monday (3pm) and the visit of York to Boundary Park on the following Sunday, March 30 (3pm).
 
Deaks will go to Rochdale, where Roughyeds have been beaten twice already this season, in confident mood after his side's ten-try outing at Sedgley Park which he summed up as one that was "as professional as anything we have produced in any game all season so far."
 
He went on: "There were a couple of spells when we might have dropped off, but we didn't. It was just as well because my mind went back to the game against Swinton at Boundary Park when they pulled back 18 points. We didn't want a repeat of that.
 
"In the event we gave an 80-minute performance and we even raised the tempo in the second half. We were up the hill and into the wind, but we still scored five tries to add to the five we got in the first half.
 
"I was really proud of the effort and I was also proud of the performance. Phil Joseph was outstanding out of dummy half, but I was also delighted with Simeon Hoyle who played in the reserves on Thursday and then came in for his first game since the Law Cup in January and looked as though he had never been away.
 
"We played some smart and sharp football in what was undoubtedly a very pleasing team effort. We were professional and enthusiastic in everything we did -- and we never took our foot off the gas.
 
"As a bonus, we seemed to come through with a clean bill of health. Richard Mervill got a bump but I don't think it's anything that is going to keep him out on Friday.
 
"Swinton had one or two regulars missing so we are not reading too much into it, but we can only play what's in front of us and I have to say it was an outstanding all-round effort by the boys."