I’m sick to the back teeth of it - Oldham RL chairman

Photo: ANTHONY MILLER

Hands in pockets, Oldham chairman Chris Hamilton stands dejected after another Grand Final defeat.

DISTRAUGHT Oldham RL chairman Chris Hamilton admitted yesterday’s last-gasp Kingstone Press Championship One Grand Final defeat against Hunslet Hawks was “too much to take”.

Like those of Roughyeds skipper Lewis Palfrey and scrum-half Steve Roper, emotions were running high after Thomas Coyle’s “golden point” drop-goal won promotion for the Hawks.

That was a sixth devastating third-tier final-day defeat in eight years for Oldham - and understandably, it hit Hamilton hardest.

Seventeen years as chairman of his beloved club hasn’t yet been rewarded with promotion.

The Oldham chairman is angry and frustrated: “I don’t really know how to put my feelings into words, but I’m sick to the back teeth of it. It’s just too much to take right now.

“Let’s just say I’ve got a lot of thinking to do now.

“The fans were superb once again, the lads worked so hard, but we’ve come up short. This hasn’t been a Chris Hamilton crusade. It’s not about me, but about Oldham as a club, and I’m just struggling to put into words how disappointed I am at this moment.”

The Roughyeds enjoyed another excellent season in Championship One and finished third in the regular standings behind York and Hunslet.

A lot of soul-searching is in the pipeline after falling at the final hurdle yet again.