Whitehaven's superb 56-12 win at Dewsbury has sent shockwaves through the camp of relegation rivals Oldham.

The two sides meet at Bower Fold, Stalybridge on Sunday and Whitehaven’s second successive away win has the Roughyeds running for cover.

Oldham coach Scott Naylor said: "Whitehaven are showing what they're made of. They're working for each other, scoring points and defending well.

"They've been hanging in, but they're only three points behind us now and they'll be fancying their chances in games against us and Swinton.

"We're locked in a real relegation battle now and thinking about a game that we shouldn't even be talking about."

The Cumbrians' win at Dewsbury moved them to within three points of the Roughyeds ahead of Sunday’s showdown and if Whitehaven win it will go down to the last day when Oldham go to Dewsbury and 'Haven are at home to Swinton.

Whitehaven know, though, that safety is not yet in their own hands. They can still beat both Oldham and Swinton but go down.

Meanwhile Oldham chairman Chris Hamilton is trying to drum up support for the crucial game at Bower Fold.

He said: "We've got to buckle down, man up and make sure we're ready for it. We showed glimpses at Halifax, but glimpses aren't enough.

"We had fantastic support in both numbers and noise and for obvious reasons we're hoping to attract the backing of all our fans on Sunday."

The Roughyeds already have selection issues as Richard Lepori, a former Whitehaven player, faced possible suspension by the RFL disciplinary system when his case for being sent off against Sheffield went before them last night.

Two important members of the Oldham pack picked-up injuries at Halifax - Liam Thompson (shoulder) and Danny Langtree (leg). Both will be assessed at training by the club's medical team during the week.