January Challenge Cup tie for Oldham

Sean Long's Championship side — doesn't that sound good? — will kick-off their 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup programme in round two on the week-end of January 25 and 26,

The draws for the first and second rounds will be made soon, on Monday, December 2, in fact, so that's when we will know who we play on January 25 or 26, the draws for the first two rounds representing the countdown to the new 2025 season, which promises to be so exciting for supporters of promoted Oldham.

The names will come out of the hat at the home of new League One club Goole Vikings and will be broadcast live by BBC Sport.

Goole, you will recall, made a successful application to join Betfred League One next season, so, like Oldham, they will enter our sport's oldest and most prestigious knock-out comp at the second-round stage, the first round being the exclusive domain of 34 community clubs from many parts of the country.

There are lots of heartland clubs in that 34-club total, however, and they include Waterhead Warriors and Rochdale Mayfield, who are among 15 outfits from the National Conference, which include champions Hunslet ARLFC, their Grand Final victims Siddal, of Halifax, and York Acorn, who reached round five last season, beating League One Cornwall en route.

There is no room for the likes of Saddleworth, St Anne's or Higginshaw but from this proud town of ours we've got Waterhead in round one for a tie on January 11 or 12 and ambitious Roughyeds entering in round two a fortnight later,

Eleven League One clubs, among them relegated Dewsbury, Whitehaven and Swinton, as well as new boys Goole, compete in round two with 17 first-round winners and 12 from the Championship, namely Oldham, Barrow, Batley, Bradford, Doncaster, Featherstone, Halifax, Hunslet, London Broncos, Sheffield, Widnes and York.

Phew! That's a tall order, which gives some idea of what lies in store for Roughyeds at league level. The men in charge are quietly confident, however, that they can do well in the Championship — and having gone out of the Challenge Cup relatively early last season they will want to progress in that too.

Talking of the Challenge Cup, Wembley Finals day on Saturday, June 7, 2025 will be a four-match affair, taking in the Betfred Men's Final, the Betfred Women's Final, the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final (that's another story) and the RFL's Champion School Year 7 boys' Final.

There are special offers of 25 per cent off with prices starting at £15 for adults and £7.50 for under-16s, but to take advantage you'll have to hurry because these early-bird offers close at midnight on December 2,

The club's top brass, meantime, remain convinced that the club is going places; that fans can look forward to a thrill-packed season in tier-two; and that continued hard work on and off the field will see Roughyeds fly home on a wet sail.

Said managing director Mike Ford: "The latest IMG scoring has merely strengthened the club's resolve to succeed on and off the pitch."

Chairman Bill Quinn added: "Melrose has had hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on it thanks to our sponsors. It looks fantastic, A major goal for Mike (Ford) and me is to get young kids somewhere to play rugby and the day will come when we will have facilities which are right up there with the best in Super League."