THE old guard will be out in force at the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday when a dozen or so former Oldham players, including the well-known and fondly remembered triumvirate of ‘Murphy, Elliott, Larder’ — the first three names on the team sheet for the best part of a decade – will watch our hugely important Betfred League One clash with North Wales Crusaders.
In terms of finishing as high up as we can, we need to complete a league double over Crusaders and we hope it will be done with old boys such as Martin Murphy, Mike Elliott, Phil Larder, Adrian Alexander, Fred Hall, Martin Hall, Eddie Barton, Dave Walker, Ray Hicks, Steve Whitmore, Mick McCone and Tommy Leyland jnr. cheering us on and remembering times gone by.
Some of them will be presented with Heritage certificates; some have already had them; all of them will be recalling the tries they scored or the big tackles they made when they were much younger and fitter, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
Older fans will recall the days when, for most of a decade, ‘Murphy, Elliott, Larder’ were household names and almost as well-known locally as ‘Freeman, Hardy and Willis’.
Tell-tale stats show full-back Murphy to have made a post-war club record 462 games with right-wing Elliott on 446 and right-centre Larder on 328. That’ more than 1,200 games between them -phenomenal!
Throw in Elliott’s 153 tries and Larder’s 111 tries and 475 goals and, as the first three names on the sheet, they are stand-out stats that earn them a place in club folklore.
Philip John Larder MBE, of course, has more reasons than that to earn our acclaim. His playing days over, this son of Oldham went into coaching; took charge at Widnes, Keighley and Sheffield; became No 2 to Mal Reilly at England and Great Britain level; got the top job with GB; guided GB to the World Cup Final; became Director of Coaching at the RFL; and was generally regarded as the man who reshaped coaching in this country.
Rugby Union eventually knocked on his door and he became defence coach of both England and the British and Irish Lions, reaching the pinnacle of his career in 2003 as Clive Woodward’s right-hand man and defence coach in the England squad that lifted the World Cup with victory over Australia in the Sydney final.
He was also a certain Mike Ford’s PE teacher at Saddleworth School. But that’s another story for another time.
Sunday will be a big day for the Hall family too. Not only is it Fred’s birthday, but its bound to be an emotional time for Fred, who was such a workhorse in the Oldham pack before his accident all those years ago. He will be surrounded by friends and well-wishers on Sunday, including his elder son Martin, who began his illustrious career at Watersheddings and then, via Rochdale, hit the heights with Wigan and Great Britain.
We’ll also see the Bowden family here to receive grandad Billy Moore’s Heritage Certificate. The late Jack Bowden, a club official for many years, was the Welsh forward’s son-in-law and there would be no prouder man than Jack if he and his late wife, Fay, could see one of their daughters getting grandad’s certificate.
It will be a big day for all the oldies as they turn back the clock. What wonderful memories!
