MIKE Ford has reiterated that Rochdale Hornets alone stand between Oldham and a place in the draw for the quarter-finals of the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup, the final of which is in June at WEMBLEY.
“Two games from Wembley if we beat Rochdale at Boundary Park. How good does that sound ?”
said Oldham’s managing director in urging Roughyeds supporters to get behind their team on Sunday and cheer them on to yet another win.
Ford has played twice at Wembley, once for Oldham Primary Schools and once for mighty Wigan against Hull FC when he partnered that magical Aussie Brett Kenny at half-back in one of the best-ever Wembley showdowns.
Sean Long, Oldham’s head coach and, like Ford, a scrum-half in his playing days, is no stranger to Wembley either and can boast three Lance Todd Trophy wins as man-of-the-match in Challenge Cup Finals between 2001 and 2006.
Certain members of the Oldham squad have also played at Wembley, including club captain Jordan Turner, Oldham born and a former pupil at Radclyffe School, who played for Castleford Tigers against Saints in a Challenge Cup Final less than three years ago, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
With such vast experience within the club, men like the three we’ve mentioned know there is a danger lurking when they speak so honestly, so passionately and with such transparency – the danger that, unwittingly, they might motivate the opposition.
This is particularly relevant in this case, given that no fewer than eight members of the Hornets squad have previously played for Oldham, seven of them as recently as last season. Seven of the eight played in last Sunday’s 24-20 win against Midlands Hurricanes with Tommy Brierley on the wing, Joe Hartley at centre, Martyn Ridyard at stand-off, Luke Nelmes at prop. Dean Meadows at loose and both Matty Wilkinson and Jordan Andrade on the bench.
Gary Thornton, the Hornets boss, is sure to play the “didn’t they want you ?” card as a motivational tool, such is the amount of Oldham connection within the Hornets squad. As well as the eight former Roughyeds players there’s Max Flanagan at full-back, son of Neil, the St Anne’s chairman and an ex-Oldham captain some 25 years ago; there’s young winger Dan Nixon, another St Anne’s product, who scored three tries against Midkands; and there’s talented hooker Aiden Roden. With a name like that he’s got to be somebody’s someone at Oldham and I suspect he’s following in the footsteps of his dad. With Martin as his Dad, Neil as his uncle and Jack as his grandad young Aidan should be a good ‘un.
Mike Ford is looking to a good-sized Oldham crowd cheering the team home. He said:
“Our fans are fantastic. They turned out in force at Barrow and we’ve reason to believe they will do the same against Rochdale. I’m very happy with how people are turning up in numbers – more than 1,500 against Halifax and more than 1,200 for a friendly against London Broncos.
“Crowd figures are riding high and I’m hoping here will be more than 1,500 on Sunday, rising to 2,000 as the weeks go by. I would love it, really love it, if one of these days the Joe Royle stand was full and we had to open another stand. Once that happens, and it will, we will really be going places with these terrific fans behind us.
We can only do it together.”
