LAST time it was George Ford; this time it was Paul Sculthorpe, looking as fit as a butcher’s dog at 46 and as fit as most guys do at 26. Mike Ford and Kieran O’Reilly , working well together and in complete harmony, don’t do things by halves!
Here, they were running the club’s Networking Social for local business and potential sponsors, a coming together that will happen once a month and will bring together companies and businesses for mutual benefit.
Kieran ran the show, looked a natural behind the mic and was quite clearly a confident young man who knew where he was going and what he was doing. Mike took a back seat, happy to delegate but there nevertheless to meet and greet and to be there in case he was needed.
Two things stood out – the catch-phrase of each. “Keeping the pound in Oldham,” was Kieran’s message to local business people. “Keeping the players in Oldham,” was Fordy’s message to media people like me, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
As a business man in his own right and a guy who could play a bit (no prizes for the under-statement to beat all under-statements) , Scully took both messages on board and talked even better than he played when interviewed by no less a pro than former BBC man George Riley. As I say, Fordy does nothing if he doesn’t do it well.
Talking of Scully, he said some interesting things.
Like:
“I don’t miss playing at all. But tell me I have to stop training and that will be the time to pack in. I still train and I would miss it terribly if I couldn’t do it.”
Like:
“We have produced some great players in Oldham. We have some top-notch amateur clubs and I’m right behind Mike’s determination to put the X Factor back into the club so that local lads WANT to sign for Oldham.”
Like:
“I was born in Burnley, but I was raised here; went to school here; played my youth rugby here at Royton and at Waterhead and I always have, and always will, regard Oldham as home.”
Like:
“When George (Ford) was a boy growing up, I lived next door but one to the Fords in Springhead and I knew from a very early age that George had both the skill and the inner steel, like his dad, to go all the way. There are lots of qualities you need to do well in sport and in business and that inner desire to do well is one of them.”
Like:
”Leadership also has a big part to play, especially if you are a business leader. My captain at St Helens, Chris Joynt, was both a brilliant player and a brilliant captain.”
Like:
“Biggest influence on my career ? My Mum and Dad were great , still live in Waterhead, but from the fitness and rugby perspective it has to be Ken Wilson. I would say he certainly had a big say in the development also of young players like Kevin Sinfield and Barrie McDermott. He was certainly very influential in my case.”
Like:
“When we were at Warrington together, Iestyn Harris was the best young back in the English game. It was widely known Warrington had money problems and the next news they had sold Iestyn to Bradford. I knew then Warrington wasn’t the club for me. “
Like:
“I was a ball boy at Watersheddings – and Oldham mad – when Fordy played there. One day I jumped off a wall and a nail went into my foot. Mike was one of the three Oldham players who came to see me in hospital.
Further to our feature on Amari Plastics, whose local base is at Middleton, might I add that Amari, represented by Nicola Robinson, were one of 38 featured companies – 39 if you include Mo Agoro’s fitness company. Mo came in late but, like the other 30 reps – four more than last time – delivered a thoroughly professional verbal portrait of what his firm does.
It was polished and professional – but then it would be with Kieran as front man and Mike hovering in the backround.
