Batley next – and it’s all looking good

WELL, we certainly laid down a marker, didn't we? I refer, of course, to Martyn Sadler's view in League Express. We beat York 50-4; well, we didn't beat'em; we murdered 'em. So where does that leave us now, apart from top spot in the Championship?

I know Sean Long was proud as punch, while conscious of the fact that this was just the start. Trying hard not to get too excited, he made the point that these were early days; that York were tougher opponents than the score suggested; that his playing staff had to be kept grounded.

The fact remains, however, that the fans went wild; that we scored EIGHT tries; that Keiran Dixon landed nine goals from nine shots; that we played some scintillating rugby; that we restricted York to four points just as we had kept Barrow, another Championship side, to four points in the Challenge Cup.

With a hard-working pack, classy halves, outside backs like Jumah Sambou, Dixon, Mo Agoro, PLT, Cian Tyrer, and Ben O'Keefe, Oldham will always score points.

The big issue is DEFENCE. But by keeping Barrow and York down to one try apiece, while scoring freely at the other end, indicates that, at the very least, Oldham have no need to fear anyone in the second tier.

I get the feeling a lot of Oldham fans still think of York as we have always done.

We used to beat them regularly. They are NOT the York of 'Wasps' days when Roland Davies worked for the RFL, when they played at their old stadium before they moved out to Huntington, when their forwards were overweight, shall we say, and when going to York was all about the Minster and the old city, rather than the rugby.

It's different now. They finished fourth in the Championship last year and our sport's Yearbook had this to say about York 2024: "When it comes to instant impacts, that of Mark Applegarth at York Knightstakes a bit of beating.

”Having had a torrid time coaching relegated Wakefield in 2023, Applegarth joined the Knights in June.

"Andrew Henderson had taken York to the play-offs in 2023 and his side made it the 1895 Cup semi-finals in 2024, but in the league his side was struggling for wins.

"Out of ten league matches, York had won three when Henderson became head of operations and development. Applegarth, a former York player, took over as coach.

"York won 12 of the remaining 16 league games to finish fourth and to make the play-offs by two points.

They reached the semi-finals after three Championship nominations — Applegarth as Coach of The Year, experienced forward Jordan Thompson as Player of The Year and former Hull KR academy winger Brad Ward as Young Player of The Year.

Against Oldham, Applegarth did the coaching, Thompson was at prop and Joe Brown, who was seventh highest Championship try scorer, played on the wing and scored York's only try.
And so to Batley. The Bulldogs are here on Sunday and you can gamble they will be snapping at our heels as usual.

Batley here, of course, can mean only one thing to diehard Oldham fans and that's the likely return of our former stalwart Michel Ward, who will perhaps do what he normally does and come off the bench.

Michael is not only a very good forward but a very nice chap — an Oldhamer who was proud to represent his home town for several years, starting off in our then reserve team as a slip of a lad on the wing and gradually becoming a first-team forward, initially in the back-row.
Michael Ward was one of our best — as true and as loyal as they come with qualities he has taken with him to Mount Pleasant.

There are, in fact, two Oldham-born players in the Batley side which will probably include one-time former Saddleworth Rangers player Ben White at half-back.

Craig Lingard made his name as coach at Batley before going to Sheffield Eagles via Keighley Cougars.

When he left Batley, Matt Diskin had a spell there as boss before coming to Oldham as successor to long-serving Scott Naylor.

Naylor twice took Oldham into the Championship and they were there three times in total, once under Diskin.

For the record, Naylor had seven years at Oldham from 2013 to 2019 inclusive and Oldham played in the Championship at Bower Fold in 2016, 2017 and 2020, Naylor leaving in 2019 after winning promotion to the second tier.

The attendance has gone up by more than 500 since the club changed hands two years ago, but the official attendance of 1,525 for the York game at BP — the opening game of the new Championship season — was one which will surely show a marked improvement when Batley come to town this Sunday, bearing in mind results, signings and all that's gone on, both on the field and off it, in the last two years.

+ On a completely different tack, ANYBODY ad EVERYBODY (men and women) are invited to that well-known sporting hostelry, the Fox and Pine on Greaves Street, Oldham at 12,30pm this coming Tuesday (Feb 25) to listen to a State of Mind talk by Ian Smith and Stan Gittins.

Tea and coffee will be available at this special event, held weekly at this time and place for anyone interested in Rugby League, fan, player, helper, official, amateur or professional, men or women) but thrown open to anybody this week because of the subject to be discussed and the quality of the men who will lead it.

Ian Smith, a local man, is a former Super League referee and a State of Mind official. Stan Gittins is a former Leigh player who was seriously injured in 2002.

And who struggled to come to terms with the life-changing injury. He talks passionately about the organisation, his own challenges, and the comfort State of Mind can provide to sufferers who are prepared to speak out.