Passionate Athletic fans tell their stories

Photo: David Shaw

DAVID SHAW'S picture captures the delight of Latics fans celebrating a goal

3 More Image(s) In Gallery

LATICS fans feature in a photography book telling the story of the passionate fans who attend their team's football matches.

The book, 'Oh When The Blues', includes stories, pictures and portraits from both home and away games, and a chapter about the Eagles and Owls football friendship between Frankfurt and Oldham.

Photographer David Shaw, who spends his time between London and Oldham, started the project two years after attending a home match in 2014 against Scunthorpe.

The book is 112 pages with over 100 full colour images, making it an ideal present for anyone interested in football.

David initially started a crowdfunding page to get some help in raising £2,200 to kick-start the project and get some copies published before Christmas.

He was pleasantly surprised when he smashed his target within a month.

David said: "I never planned for the project to be this big.

"I thought it was a nice community-based club and I would do a little project about the fans.

"But more and more people were interested in what I was doing, they kept inviting me to other events or games. I was having lots of fun so I kept doing it.

"I was pleasantly surprised to find a group of fans both passionate about the club and sport, but also very friendly. I started photographing shortly after and was swiftly invited to more games, people's homes, and of course, the pub.

Characters

"Since then I have made as many of the games home and away as I can and feel as though I myself, am also a fan.

"These pictures document the community through its highs and lows focusing on the many characters and supporters groups involved.

"There was a lot of support for it. There was so much support from not just Oldham fans but from different clubs.

"I think what's most important about the fans of Oldham Athletic is quite often the results on the pitch aren't great and they have been in the same league for a long time ­- but they're all proud to be part of this big community.

"They don't go supporting Manchester United or Manchester City, which are guaranteed to win, but they're going to this small club in Oldham where they're from and having that sense of pride.

"It makes it a lot more interesting than photographing bigger clubs."

'Oh When The Blues' will be in stock in Promotions department at the Oldham Evening Chronicle offices on Union Street from Wednesday.