Fans take their seats

New North Stand at Oldham Athletic.

ATHLETIC have received a financial boost with the news that season ticket sales are significantly up on last year’s figure.

As the discount period for early purchases expired yesterday, the number of fans who have committed for the whole of next season stands at just over 2,500 — an increase of around 20-per-cent compared to 12 months ago.

Many supporters — both existing season ticket holders who have moved as well as ‘new’ fans — have snapped up seats in the club’s North Stand, which is set to open for the first time in 2015-16.

Before last night’s 7pm deadline, more than 1,000 season tickets had been purchased for the new stand alone. The capacity of the North Stand is 2,640

“It is all very positive news,” said Athletic’s commercial director Mark Moisley.

“We are really pleased with the impact of the new stand, the ground changes and the new manager.”

Though doubts were expressed by some fans over the appointment of new boss Darren Kelly, it seems that the addition of a fourth stand and its upgrading of facilities has had a big impact on sales.

And for Kelly, that could assist him in terms of providing extra cash for his player budget.

So far, he has brought in winger Lee Croft and as the Chronicle revealed yesterday, a call was put in to Tranmere over their star midfield man Max Power.

The Athletic manager is particularly keen to bring in a new centre-forward to lead the line, too.

But with the start of pre-season training still six weeks away, he stressed there is no need to hasten his squad-building attempts.

“We are talking to a few players and things could happen quite quickly,” Kelly told the Chronicle.

“But I want to make sure that we get the right players in, who will fit into the formation that we want to play in.

“It is so important that we get the right quality into the club and we won’t rush anything.

“What I want to build is a team that works hard for each other and has a determination to succeed in getting to where we want to be.”

Renovation work has started on the SportsDirect.com pitch ahead of next season.

The turf is being torn up and a new surface put down in time for the visit of Bolton on Tuesday, July 21.

ATHLETIC have confirmed the club will travel to face Carlisle in a friendly on Saturday, August 1 (3pm kick-off).

The game at Brunton Park is the fifth first-team friendly fixture to be scheduled, alongside home matches against Bolton and Blackburn and trips to Chester and Stirling Albion.