PAUL Wellens is looking for Saints to be ruthless if they want to be successful.
The Club Captain believes all winning sides have a tenacious streak in them and that should be replicated at Langtree Park.
“We need to be ruthless,” he said. “A few weeks ago we had Widnes beat at 40-16 but then we had a few lapses and almost lost. We learnt a big lesson that day and we have to be thankful it didn’t cost us our place in the next round.
“We had a chance last Friday to show we had learnt something from that experience and we did that. Now we have to take that into the next round against Oldham.
“Out of all of the teams in the competition, it was the best draw in terms of playing the lowest ranked team. But with that comes pressure and a responsibility. You haven’t got a god given right to win the game. We certainly won’t be disrespecting Oldham or taking them rightly. We need to be professional and approach the game professionally.
“What we need to do is build momentum and improve our performances. The last five or six weeks have been good for us, Good Friday aside, but we have improvements to make and we want to get better.
“At the end of the day we need to be ruthless tonight and perform to the best we can. Rugby League is tough whatever the opposition and can be tougher when you are playing lower league opposition. People expect you not to try as hard, but you can’t think along those lines. You have to prepare and turn up like you are facing top flight opposition.”
He continued: “It is great cup tie against a real rugby league town. This club has a lot of Oldham connections in Scully, Joynty and Martyn. They have always produced players and the youth structure in Oldham is unbelievable.
“It’s a shame they have been ignored a little and left to fend for themselves in times when other clubs have had more support. They are a big Rugby League town and should be invested in and given time to grow. Look at the players they have produced!”
Tickets are on sale right up until kick-off with cash turnstiles open around the ground.
