Fourteen years after last playing at Boundary Park, Oldham turned last night’s return to the town’s football stadium into a night to remember with a sizeable crowd, a visit by loads of former players, a great atmosphere, the pre-match announcement of Jordan Turner’s capture from Castleford Tigers, an appearance by Oldham Council officials — and a 40-24 win against Workington Town to boot!
Roughyeds scored early tries by centre Kian Morgan and prop Luke Nelmes to go 12-0 up inside 13 minutes . . . and Town’s chances of being party-poopers were already looking slim, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
“It was a terrific occasion,” summed up Oldham Athletic’s new owner Frank Rothwell. “A great night for Oldham Rugby, for the town, and for everything we have been working on with Oldham Council.”
Added rugby club supremo Mike Ford:
“Roughyeds wish to thank Frank and the Council for making this possible. As for the game itself, we scored seven tries in total and we are now guaranteed a fourth-place finish.”
Man-of-the match full-back Jordan Paga, right-wing Nick Rawsthorne (2), left-wing Pat Ah Van and scrum-half Kieran Tyrer also scored tries for Oldham on the new £1M pitch, funded by Oldham Council.
Roughyeds play their last game of the regular Betfred League One season against Midlands Hurricanes on Sunday at the Vestacare Stadium on the other side of town (3pm), but they will be back at Boundary Park for at least one play-off game and will return there permanently next season.
Back to last night and John Chadwick presented Paga with his man-of-the-match award and right-wing Nick Rawsthorne with the champagne-moment award for the first of his two tries. Added to his three at Rochdale that’s five in two games for Rawsthorne, the former Toronto Wolfpack man whom we signed from Halifax a few weeks ago.
The attendance was given as 1,283 — a hugely encouraging figure given that it was DOUBLE the Vestacare average.
Club officials were delighted by the result, the turn-up figures and the superb hospitality of Oldham Athletic.
Chairman Bill Quinn broke his annual holiday in Europe to fly in and out again especially for the occasion and long before the end he was purring with satisfaction at the way things were going on and off the field.
“It’s turning out to be a brilliant night,”
said Bill, who took to the mike in hospitality pre-match to inform a large gathering of fan that plans for next season were already well advanced and that this was “just the start.”
Ford said later, after the win: “So far, so good. I was a little bit worried about the Rochdale game because I know what derbies are like and before this match I was conscious of the fact that Town hadn’t played for two and a half weeks and we were playing our second game in three days. In the run-up to the Rochdale game we hadn’t been playing regularly and it was a tough game that took a lot out of us both mentally and physically.
“All credit to the boys for playing as they did tonight. I am of the opinion that we are one of the best attacking sides in the division (the ‘points for’ column proves that), but I know we still have work to do on defence. Generally, though, things are going according to plan and we go into our last league game at the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday, against Midlands Hurricanes (3pm) with a chance of finishing third.
“We’ve got a few bumps and bruises and a few players came off with knocks in the second-half, including Martyn Ridyard, Matty Wilkinson and young Harvey Wilson, but we’ll be together again on Friday night and we’ll look at the overall situation then.”
Before the game, Jack Dearden of BBC Radio Manchester, conducted a Q and A with John Fieldhouse in the Broadway Suite.
Former coach Tony Barrow was there and among ex-players were Mick Worrall, Fieldhouse, Leo Casey, Duncan Platt, Shane Tupaea, Mike Elliott, Jason Clegg and Bob Mordell, who travelled from London to spend the evening with Adrian Alexander, another former player and his best pal, now a club ambassador, and with Adrian’s wife Ginny, a former Mayor of Oldham.
Also present was St Helens and England front-rower Matty Lees and former top referee Robert Hicks, an experienced lawyer and now a leading official at the RFL.
It was that sort of night — a real gathering of the clans and a taste of things to come.
