‘I would die, yes die, to go to Wembley with Oldham’ – Mike Ford

MIKE Ford headlined just what Sunday's AB Sundecks 1895 Cup quarter-final against Barrow Raiders means to all Oldham-born sports lovers when he talked about Sunday's big game.

Fresh from their excellent showing at Sheffield Eagles, where they won 20-8 to go second in the Championship after five games — doesn't that look sensational ? — Sean Long's men would love to represent this great club of ours, to say nothing of this terrific town, at Wembley this summer FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

SUNDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY FOR OLDHAMERS THE WORLD OVER, GIVEN THAT IF WE BEAT BARROW WE WILL BE ONLY ONE GAME FROM OUR DESTINY.

The four quarter-finals take place simultaneously on Sunday afternoon: Bradford Bulls c Sheffield Eagles, Featherstone Rovers v London Broncos, OLDHAM v Barrow Raiders, York Knights v Widnes Vikings. All ties kick-off at 3pm. The Barrow tie will be a tough one, but if we can get to the last four, particularly if drawn at home in the semi-final, anything can happen

Fans not born in this area, but who have supported Oldham all their lives, or a large part of it, would never pretend to dream of Wembley in quite the same way as dyed-in-the-wool Oldham people — myself and my three boys included. Nevertheless, I vividly recall leaving Fartown well beaten by Hull KR in the second replay of the 1964 Challenge Cup semi-final and thinking to myself: 'No probs, I'm only 23. Time is on my side. I've most of my life to go at.'

That was 61 years ago. I was 23. Our four children — three sons and a daughter — were but a twinkle in my girl friend Val's eyes. Two cricketing youngsters at Crompton CC in the CLL, fast bowler Peter Sutcliffe and batsman Stuart Wales, came to my stag do the year after. We started off in Chadderton and ended up in Mr Smiths club in city-centre Manchester, blown away by several goodwill messages from Watersheddings.

Fast forward 61 years and we are still dreaming of that FIRST-EVER visit with Oldham to what is now the 'new' Wembley, perhaps unrecognisable from the day when, as an 11-year old, Michael Alan Ford played the first of his three games there for Oldham primary schoolboys in the second-row. As Michael Caine would say: "Not many people know that."

Fordy also played at Wembley for Wigan as a teenager, when he partnered Aussie legend Brett Kenny at half-back against Peter Sterling's Hull and some years later for Castleford Tigers against Wigan. But as an Oldham-born lad he knows better than most what it would mean to generations of local people if they were given an opportunity to watch their team in London.

My youngest son David, for instance, is talking of flying half way round the world from his home in New Zealand if Oldham make it through to North London.

"That's one game I wouldn't want to miss, he said. It's rugby league history in the making."

Mike Ford, talking to Roughyeds TV, said this was a massive week for the club and pointed out that victory against Barrow this Sunday would put Roughyeds only one game from Wembley and only one game from completing a dream of thousands and thousands of Oldham people, going all the way back to 1929.

Earlier that decade, Oldham had played in a then record four finals in four years, but the RFL did not take the final to Wembley until 1929 and Oldham's last final was in 1927.

Ford told a packed Broadway Suite last Friday:

"I would die to go to Wembley with Oldham this year — and I really do mean that."

He later told the club's TV Channel:

"In that respect our quarter-final against Barrow makes it a game and a week that will be forever remembered. When I was a lad, going to Wembley was the big thing in Rugby League and I would like to think we can recreate this week the expectation and the atmosphere we experienced back then."

Ford also spoke of this at Kevin Fitzpatrick's Heritage Evening when the BBC political reporter in the North-West, himself an Oldham player back in the day, took us down Memory Lane with his focus on the 22 players in our Hall of Fame and his documentary recording which could be downloaded for the memory bank of individual fans.

THEY WERE THERE IN THEIR DROVES, SOME OF WHOM WE HADN'T SEEN FOR YEARS AND WHOSE NAMES ESCAPE ME NOW.

One such man I will NEVER FORGET, Trevor Heywood, best remembered as the 'Sheddings car park attendant, was there — a former official of the Supporters' Club who did so much work for the club he was dubbed 'Mr Rugby'.

I could never understand why Trevor, of all people, turned his back on the club when it was re-formed after liquidation, but he had firm beliefs, he stuck to his guns and now he is ready to come back — well, almost. His wife, Hazel and a grandchild kept coming and I don't think it will be long before my mate Trev joins them.

We'll really know then that we are heading in the right direction. We know that already, but if and when Trevor Heywood returns to the fold, wow, that really would tell a tale.

Among those present, some of whom were interviewed, were Terry Flanagan, Mike Elliott, John Watkins (the best-known sponge man in rugby league), former commercial manager Ray Hill, Ray Hicks, Joe Warburton, Phil Larder, or 'sir' as his former pupil Mike Ford referred to him, Mick Worrall, Graham Starkey, a coach who was years ahead of the rest, John Chadwick, back at the club as vice-president and a man who was heavily involved at the time of the many stories which were retold on this magnificent night of nights and various other 'names' I may have missed or I don't know, for which I apologise.

I had the pleasure of sitting for pie and peas on a Players' Association table between Graham Starkey and David Walker, but the highlights for me were seeing Kevin Fitzpatrick's wide grin at the end of the evening, thus signalling the get-together's great success; a similar reaction from Heritage Trust's No 1 fan Mike Turner and his wife Mary, herself a great worker for the club; the quote from Tony Collins, award-winning sport historian, that our club's triumphs and failures over the years mirrored the highs and lows of national industry; the appearance of so many we once knew well; my chat, particularly with Trevor Heywood.

We heard so many 'hard luck' stories but all had some relevance — like the 1964 three-match semi-final when we went in front against Hull KR in extra-time of the first replay only to have the game abandoned for bad light. We then lost game three. Like the cup semi at Central Park when we lost narrowly to Warrington after ref John Holdsworth disallowed a late Paul Lord try for offside after a kick to the corner by Mike Ford.

We also heard of inspirational successes — like that great Tony Barrow season when John Chadwick was chairman, when we won at Widnes, who were then world champions, in round three of the Challenge Cup, when we knocked Wigan out of the cup with that Paddy Kirwan try, when skipper Mike Ford led an absolutely stunning comeback to beat Hull KR in a Second Division Premiership game at Old Trafford, when Tommy Martyn did his famous victory somersault, when we frightened the living daylights out of the 'Invincible' Aussies and when we had a record-breaking FIVE players on tour — Ray Ashton, Terry Flanagan, Des Foy Andy Goodway and Mick Worrall.

Brian Gartland and Derek Foy had a lot to do with that — and at a recent game we welcomed Brian's elder son Sean and I spotted Derek's elder son Martyn in the seats. Who said the battle to reconnect to the town wasn't working ? It clearly is — and events like those engineered by Kev Fitzpatrick the other night can only help to keep the momentum going.

THAT, PLUS A WIN AGAINST BARROW ON SUNDAY ON THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY, WILL ALL ADD UP TO A MAGNIFICENT WEEK.