Bee team creates a buzz at Latics

beekeeper John Ogden removes the bees

THERE wasn’t a single fan inside the ground, but the atmosphere was buzzing at SportsDirect.com Park on Saturday... a swarm of bees had moved in and threatened to delay kick-off.

Oldham Athletic’s ground staff were preparing for the afternoon’s clash with Blackburn Rovers when a ball boy spotting around 1,000 bees on a set of training goal posts on the pitch.

Local beekeeper John Ogden saved the day and braved the swarm to put the bees in a box before taking them away.

The turnstiles were then opened to allow fans in - and the match kicked off on time at 3pm.

Though manager Darren Kelly’s side went on to bumble to a 2-0 home loss to their opponents, the hive of activity on the field before the game left fans waxing lyrical.

“Amazingly enough it was an issue which meant the safety officer felt we couldn’t open the turnstiles,” said Athletic chief executive Neil Joy, of the un-bee-lievable scenes.

One possibility for the insects becoming bee-sotted with a goal post is that a hive became overcrowded and split, with a section following a new queen as others scouted a new permanent home.