Rugby League: Danny Langtree remains loyal to Oldham

Danny Langtree (ball carrier) in Oldham's game against Bradford Bulls

Danny Langtree has turned down offers from Championship clubs, preferring instead to remain loyal to Oldham even though it means dropping down to League One.

A highly-valued second-row forward, and one of the first names to be pencilled in on the team sheet each week for more than five years, 'Langers' has signed a new one-year deal to follow the example of his fellow forwards Adam Neal and Phil Joy.

He is currently recovering from surgery to repair a damaged bicep but he expects to be ready for starting pre-season by the end of November.

Chris Hamilton, club chairman, said: "Danny could have gone elsewhere, in the Championship, but he made it clear that he wanted to stay at Oldham if a deal could be done and that counts for a lot. I'm really pleased.

"He is another one who was sorely missed because of injury - a tough, uncompromising forward who only knows one way to go.

"He is a thorn in the side of every team we play and to lose him for so long at such a crucial stage of the season was a massive blow.

"We know he will work hard to overcome this injury and we are delighted he will once again be wearing the Oldham jersey next year."

A former junior at St Helen's, 26-year-old Langtree has grown up at Oldham, starting out in the reserves as a teenager alongside Phil Joy, who also re-signed earlier this week.

He has made 122 first-team appearances - 16 more than Joy - and he has been an automatic second-row selection for the past five years under Scott Naylor's tutelage.

Langtree said: "Adam Neal hit the nail on the head when a few of us got together and he said we had a job to do to make up for last year. He is right, we do. We need to get back up into the Championship, that is where we belong.

"The number of serious injuries we had last year was horrendous. I have never known anything like it. That is why we went down, but we intend to put things right. We have to."

Langtree had an operation in Wigan a month ago and he began a programme of physiotherapy last week.

He added: "I have got rid of my sling and they have told me I should be able to start doing a bit three months from the operation, which will be the end of November."