MARTYN SADLER, editor, League Express:
“One of the best Rugby League stories in the last fortnight has been the acquisition of the Oldham club by a group of people who combine genuine Rugby League enthusiasm with business credentials.
“Next season the club will move its home games to Boundary Park, the home of Oldham Athletic FC which is a fine facility as I discovered on a trip to the media conference announcing a change of ownership.
“The town of Oldham is not one of the most prosperous in the country.
“I was particularly sad to see that the famous Oldham Coliseum Theatre closed its doors for the last time after having its Arts Council grant withdrawn.
“I don’t know why that should have happened, particularly when you consider how many prominent actors began their careers at that theatre, including many who would become famous on shows such as Coronation Street.
“In my view any town worth living in needs thriving sports clubs, thriving cultural organisations and thriving pubs and restaurants.
“To see them disappearing is distressing, which is why I’m so glad that the process seems to have been reversed for Oldham RLFC.
“The town has produced so many great Rugby League players and let’s just hope it can continue to do so.”
PETER WILSON, long-retired Daily Star rugby league man now back to his roots in Barrow:
“Oldham fans have not had much to cheer about for a long time, so if they welcome former favourite Mike Ford as some kind of knight in shining armour, riding in on a white horse to the rescue, you can hardly blame them.
“Like almost everybody else in the Rugby League family, I have a ‘second’ team I like to support and in my case that’s Oldham.
“Local boy Ford has been around the circuit in both rugby codes with Wigan, Leigh, Oldham, Castleford and South Queensland Crushers (league) plus Ireland, England and British Lions (union) among his stop-overs,
“For many years since the sale of Watersheddings (now a housing estate), Oldham have survived a nomadic experience, travelling to football grounds such as Stalybridge Celtic, Ashton United and currently Avro FC to keep the club alive.
“If Oldham are going to get out of Betfred League One they couldn’t have a better leader than Mike Ford.
“He is the main face of the six-man consortium and he says that ‘our vision is to get the people of Oldham a team they can be proud of.’
“I wish Mike and his team all the best and hope it isn’t too long before they are back here at Craven Park in the Championship.
“Meanwhile, why not a pre-season game alternating between Craven Park and Boundary Park for the Frank Foster Memorial Trophy ? Frank played 100 games, shared about equally between the clubs and he coached Barrow for nearly ten seasons.”
