Mates v mates derby clash

provisional Rochdale squad are Lewis Palfrey, Miles Greenwood, David Allen, Luke Adamson, Richard Lepori and Gary Middlehurst.

Comparisons between Palfrey and Crook will be inevitable, given that the former – a promotionwinning Oldham captain and skipper for four years – replaced Crook in the Rochdale side of 2017 .

Crook was away from the local derby scene last year, playing instead for Whitehaven, but Palfrey was a mainstay half-back for Rochdale and looks like retaining his partnership with Danny Yates in the coming Championship campaign.

Lepori, like Palfrey, was a popular and regular first-team man at Oldham; unlike Palfrey, he played under Naylor’s tutelage as recently as last season.

While Rochdale fans will feel it odd to be watching Crook in Oldham colours, they will be no more mesmerised than will Oldham supporters looking at ‘Lippy’ in red, white and blue.

It points to an intriguing mates v mates Law Cup clash which, from Oldham’s angle, will give supporters at least some chance of evaluating prospects for the upcoming League 1 campaign.

Greenwood, Kay, Hurst, Galbraith, Massam, Palfrey, Yates, Taira, Moores, Hadden, Allen, T Adamson, L Adamson, Maneeley, Hatton, Hema, Brickhill, Mitchell, Turner, Lepori, Gaskell, Middlehurst, Gregory, Mulkeen, Reardon.

Johnson, Eccleston, Rasool, Reid, Nield, Holmes, Crook, Hewitt, Joy, Hughes, Wilkinson, Owen, Neal, Bridge, Langtree, Spencer, Jones, Davies, Briscoe, Bent, Nelmes.