NORTH Wales Crusaders' talisman Tommy Johnson has been highlighting the togetherness of the squad as the League 1 play-off battle continues.

Crusaders, who are second in the standings, were assured of qualification for the end-of-season play-offs with six games still to play.

A key figure in this season's success has been 31-year-old full back Johnson, who has bagged more than 200 points for the side in 2022.

"I have enjoyed it," said Johnson ahead of Sunday's trip to tackle Oldham.

"You know, it's a great team.

"There's a great sort of togetherness we have got.

"It's a great bunch of lads and I'm enjoying playing every minute."

Johnson grabbed two of the tries in last weekend's key 36-26 success at home to play-off rivals Hunslet.

He also kicked six conversions to take him to 214 points for the campaign.

It was far from straight-forward, though, as the Crusaders trailed by eight points twice during the match.

Johnson added: "Hunslet are a good side.

"We fell short at their place but we knew we had the capability of beating them,

It was a bit scratchy in the first half but we got things going in the second half and we finished strongly.

"You have got to have that belief and we have got that in the team.

"We are confident in what we do and the structures we have got in place.

"It puts you in a good position to win the game."

Crusaders will be aiming to make it five wins in a row in the league this weekend.

"Oldham are always a good side in their own right," added Johnson

"But it's all about focusing on what we do.

"If we stick to our structures and work hard for each other, it will put us in a position to win the game."

Oldham go into the match with a bit of confidence after they eased to a 38-0 success at West Wales Raiders last time out.

Head coach Stu Littler told the club's website: “It was a good performance and the lads who came into the team took their opportunity.

"It’s like building a wall – you put in a few bricks at a time and that’s what we did on Saturday.

"Although we were down to our last 21, for various reasons, we kept our line intact and scored seven tries, so that can’t be bad.”

All of Oldham's loan signings, including the four latest ones from Wigan, are with the squad for the rest of the season and they will be available for selection in Sunday’s home game against the North Wales Crusaders.

The weekend League 1 programme gets underway tonight, with Hunslet hosting Midlands Hurricanes.

There's one match tomorrow as Cornwall head to London Skolars.

On Sunday, the big game sees fourth-placed Rochdale Hornets at home to Swinton Lions, who are third, while West Wales Raiders head to Doncaster.