Roughyeds settle into the Fold

Chris Hamilton at Whitebank

WITH the start of Oldham RL’s Championship campaign fast approaching, match-day staff and regular volunteers will be at Stalybridge FC tonight for a guided tour of Bower Fold and the stadium’s facilities.

Headed by club chairman Chris Hamilton, the Roughyeds’ game-day admin team will familiarise themselves with the lay-out of the ground. The first game at Bower Fold - where Oldham are playing home games in 2016 because Whitebank doesn’t meet RFL standards - will see the visit of London Broncos on February 7.

“It will be a red-letter day in the club’s history. The players hope to take the field to a massive reception after winning promotion last year,” said Hamilton. “We expect our biggest crowd for ages. It will be a baptism of fire since Broncos are full-time professionals and tipped to do well, and we need to have all staff fully acquainted with the stadium.”

Coach Scott Naylor’s pre-season schedule was thrown into disarray by the postponement of last weekend’s Law Cup game at Rochdale. If the RFL approves, that game will now be played on January 31, giving the Roughyeds a tough run-in to the Championship with warm-up games at Barrow and at Rochdale before the season kick-off.