Hunslet aiming to put down a major marker says boss Gary Thornton

Hunslet visit Oldham today (3pm) almost two weeks after suffering their first defeat of the campaign in Betfred League One.

They remain top of the table, but only on points difference from Whitehaven who beat them last time out.

There are no Easter Monday fixtures in League One but, after a home game against London Skolars on April 28, Hunslet face back-to-back away tests at Workington Town and Newcastle Thunder in May, a month when they play only twice.

“We need to win it,” Thornton said of today’s game at fourth-placed Oldham.

“We need to get back on track.

“We have got a really tough period coming up and we have got to try and pick up as many wins as we can on the road.

“The three away games are all tough and we need to try and get back on track and back to where we need to be.”

Hunslet will be six games into a 20-round league season after today.

“All the top-five are playing each other over the next few weeks,” Thornton noted.

“We don’t want to drop out of the top three or four.

“It’s important we pick up as many wins as we can if we want to stay in there and if we do that it will set down a good marker for us.”

Thornton was as disappointed with the performance as the result at Whitehaven and insisted lessons have to be learned.

He admitted: “We didn’t play.

“We went into our shells a bit and played into Whitehaven’s hands.

“We’ve got to go [to Oldham] and trust in our game plan and play with a bit of confidence when we attack.

“I will be asking them to trust what worked for us in the previous four games.”

Thornton added: “We were a bit off the pace.

“We defended okay, but defended for too long and when we got the ball we didn’t execute the way we can.”

Having no game last weekend has boosted centre Ben Heaton’s hopes of returning from a calf muscle injury, but Nathan Chappell is suspended.

Forward Charlie Martin’s loan from Dewsbury Rams has been extended for another month.