It’s a tall order, but Mike Ford would love nothing better than to see Roughyeds in a Betfred League One Grand Final at Boundary Park, 80 minutes from promotion and with all to play for at one of the best stadiums available to Rugby League clubs.
“For that to happen — and I know what it would mean to all Rugby League fans in Oldham — we’ve got to win at Doncaster on Sunday and then beat Hunslet away next up, two teams that finished above us in the table. There are no ifs and buts about this. If we aim to be in the Grand Final at Boundary Park that’s what we have to do. We have to win our next two games away from home and then we can all share in a fantastic day at Boundary Park.
“That’s the dream,” said Ford, “and the best chance we have of seeing it happen is to get as many fans as we can to Doncaster on Sunday. If we can win there I have no doubt we would take a big following to Hunslet, but we need all the support we can get at Doncaster first. It’s been said many times before, but it really does make a lot of difference to what happens on the field if the players are made aware that lots of fans are with them and willing them on.
“I know I’ve said it before, but this is YOUR club, YOUR team. Power, pride and passion are all generated by you guys on the terraces in your club colours. We can do it, I know we can, but we can all play a part too and I know the best fans in the game will get right behind us on Sunday.
If Oldham were to lose they would get another chance at home against the winners of the Workington v North Wales Crusaders game, but Ford isn’t contemplating losing, aiming to topple first Doncaster away and then Hunslet away to show that Roughyeds have learned lessons from league defeats by the two Yorkshire clubs.
By the time weekend comes along, Roughyeds will have trained three times this week. They had Bank Holiday Monday off, but they were in on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and they will be in again on Friday night.
Josh Johnson is out through suspension and Harvey Wilson has gone back to Wigan, but on the face of it everyone else is available for selection in a play-off challenge that promises to be just as full of drama and incident as it is over flowing with pride and passion.
