STEVE McCormack, son of a former Oldham centre and head coach of Scotland from 2004 to 2017, will be at Bower Fold on Saturday to do the summarising for Our League’s streamed, live coverage of the Betfred Championship game, Oldham v Halifax Panthers, which kicks off at 12.45pm.
In Oldham’s previous home games this season, former Roughyeds players Darren Abram and John Fieldhouse have put on the headphones, but McCormack can at least claim his dad, Jim, played at Watersheddings, where he made 165 Oldham appearances between 1965 and 1972.
At the age of 28, Steve became the youngest coach in Super League when he was appointed Salford boss in 2001 and he later coached several clubs, including Whitehaven, Widnes, Barrow and Swinton Lions.
He won three coach-of-the-year awards in National League One and Championship One, with Whitehaven in 2004 and 2005 and with Swinton Lions in 2011.
At international level, he coached Scotland in three World Cups during his 13 years at the helm.
He’s currently Welfare and Development Manager of Rugby League Cares, having initially joined the charity as Transition Manger in 2019 after a spell as Player Welfare Manager at Wigan Warriors, his home-town club.
The Oldham squad is likely to include six Wigan-born players in Liam Bent, Ben Holcroft, Max Roberts, Callum Green, Declan Gregory and 19-year-old on-loan prop Jack Bibby, a third-year Academy player at Warriors and a product of Shevington Sharks.
Holcroft, Roberts and Green have also come through the Wigan system.
Also in contention will be another on-loan youngster from a Super League club — 20-year-old centre Jack Croft from Wakefield Trinity, who has already played ten games for Trinity at the highest level, eight in Super League and two in the Challenge Cup.
“They are quality lads with big Super League careers ahead of them, but what they need now is game time and we can give them that,” said Oldham coach Matt Diskin.
Match coverage on Our League is free to home season-ticket supporters and everyone else can watch for only £4.95 if they purchase it before midnight on Friday.
You can also buy on Saturday, but game-day price then is £10.
“As the home club, we’ll get most of the profits from the Our League presentation and that is vital funding at a time when we have no income through the turnstiles,” said Oldham chairman Chris Hamilton.
“It’s also a great way for fans to watch the game – from the comfort of their home and for less than a fiver.”
