So it’s Hunslet who go up with us after all

Well, that was a turn-up, wasn't it? Most of us thought Keighley would be going to Swinton but Hunslet not only got to Heywood Road, they won to go up to the Championship with us.

Their narrow victory against Swinton was a personal triumph for our very own Mackenzie Turner, who is over there on loan, so congrats to Mackenzie and here's to our games against the "So We Shall Again" men next year.

Swinton, of course, go down to League One while we go the other way to the second tier. Who thought that would happen when they beat us at their place early last season in the Challenge Cup? It all goes to show that anything can happen at this level, but one hopes the many changes at Roughyeds this off season will do us proud in the Championship. I think they will.

As for Hunslet, I was particularly pleased for life-long fan Phil Hodgson, my old mate and League Express journo on all matters that are community (amateur) based. Phil, not to be confused with the Hunslet director of the same name, used to be the Hunslet media man. He has followed the club all his life and it clearly means as much to him as Oldham does to me.

Congrats also to all those Roughyeds players who have won international honours this close season and, especially to PLT, a crowd-pleaser if ever there was one, who was named Betfred League One Young Player of the Year to follow-up his choice of Players' Player at the Oldham Awards Night.

The announcement that Phoenix will still be with us in 2025, albeit still on loan, is a major coup for the club and one that is sure to help with the sale of tickets etc.

Might I bring your attention also to the ever-growing and influential organisation that used to be called the Ex-Players' Association, now known as the Players' Association because it is no longer restricted to former players.

Led expertly by Joe Warburton, Ray Hicks and John Watkins, the Assn has its annual dinner at St Herbert's on Friday, November 1, already heading for a sell-out, and its annual supper and 'do' at Springhead Sports and Social Club on a Friday night in early December, That, too, will be well attended but tickets are still on sale from Joe Warburton (078828 48340), Ray Hicks (075269 48334) or John Watkins (079746 12038).

As for the annual dinner at St Herbert's, the Assn will break new ground with the naming of Dr Kevin Jones as guest speaker. A leading consultant and chest physician, Dr Jones has worked on the heart-lung team at Papworth Hospital and has also worked at St Barts.

The latest Assn monthly meeting was held recently at the Springhead venue when a debate took place on Oldham kits across the years. Michael Turner of the Heritage Trust later sent me this link:

https://orl-heritagetrust.org.uk/2024/09/27oldham-kits-through-the-years/

A while ago, I wrote a piece for Round-Up, headlined 'The great and the good at Boundary Park', in which I reported that former referee Gerry Kershaw, an Oldham man who lives in North Yorkshire, was spotted at an Oldham game with Robert Hicks.

Gerry later sent me an email in which he wrote:

"I was born and brought up on Ripponden Road only a cock stride from Watersheddings and I supported the club with my Dad until I went off to college in 1962.

I will forever remember the support I was given when I started to referee, particularly from Sam Shepherd, my PE teacher, and Dickie Thomas.

My favourite era was when Oldham had this team: Ganley; Cracknell, Davies, Ayres, Etty; Kellett, Pitchford; Jackson, Keith, Vines, Little, Winslade, Turner.

It's been a bit of a rocky road since the days when we won everything bar the Challenge Cup. I hated going to the ground at Limeside, always hoping that one day someone would negotiate a route back to a sharing agreement with Oldham Athletic.

Thankfully, Mike Ford and his backers have found a way to get back to the Championship with instant success and on my visit to Boundary Park I sensed a "will" to get quickly established in that division.

I wish all at the club the very best and I look forward greatly to next season and to watching Oldham in the Championship."