Whitehaven forward Dave Allen has been charged with dissent after being sent-off during Sunday’s game at Featherstone.

Allen was dismissed by referee Callum Straw within the first quarter of the game at Post Office Road and then a brave Whitehaven effort ended in a 30-18 defeat.

The case will be discussed next week by the Rugby League’s disciplinary panel and is one that is open to an early guilty plea which would result in a suspended one match sentence.

Allen has been one of Whitehaven’s stand-out forwards this season and it seems likely he will go for the early plea.

Whitehaven chairman Tommy Todd said: “To us at the time we thought it was a harsh decision and a sin-binning might have been more appropriate. Certainly it didn’t help us having to play with 12 men for three-quarters of the game so it was a brave effort.

“There is only one word to describe the defensive effort under the circumstances, and that is – heroic. I am convinced with a full complement we could have won that game.”

But Featherstone away, and a battling effort against the odds which ended in defeat, is history now. The big one on the immediate horizon is a bottom four crunch clash at Oldham.

“This really is a big game for both teams and no quarter is going to be asked or given. It will be a really competitive game with both of us desperate for the two points. I guess you’d call it a four pointer.”

Todd is hoping that some of Whitehaven’s walking wounded after Sunday will be ready to resume against the Roughyeds.

“I spoke to the two French lads on Wednesday and both insist that they will be playing at Oldhm. Louis (Jouffret) still has a slight limp but I confident he will be ready for the game while Ugo (Perez) says he has shaken-off the knock he took.

“John Paul Brocklebank had a nasty mouth wound, which is being classed as a head injury, and he is hopeful of being cleared to play.”

Meanwhile Craig Calvert, Grant Gore and Stephen Fox who were late withdrawals at the final training session of the week are expected to be in contention for places in the squad.

Roughyeds have lost their last seven Championship games, but five of those defeats were away from home and five were by teams currently heading the division ­- Leigh Centurions, London Broncos, Bradford Bulls, Halifax and Batley Bulldogs.

Not insignificantly, Leigh, London and Bradford are full-time professional clubs and Naylor's men have just played two of them in the space of five days.