Ballard’s recipe for success

ROUGHYEDS coach Steve Deakin is glad the club have brought on board a player of the pedigree of Andy Ballard for next season.

The 22-year-old former Salford man elected to sign a one-year deal with Oldham earlier this week, despite not yet knowing which division he will be playing in during 2009.

The winger is the second player, after captain Rob Roberts, to commit himself to the club for next year and Deakin sees it as a positive move.

"He can play at full-back, winger or centre, is only 22 and has come through a full-time system at Wigan and Salford," said Deakin.

"He is an outstanding goal kicker, and as he showed against us both at The Willows and at Boundary Park, has got exceptional speed. He is a player who brings with him good habits and versatility."

Ballard made the breakthrough to the first team at new Super League entrants Salford this year, having impressed sufficiently in the under-21s set-up to be named player's player of the year in 2007.

He already knows Boundary Park well enough, having scored a try during the City Reds' 18-14 Northern Rail Cup defeat earlier this season in which he showed blistering pace to give away ground and still outstrip defensive pair Gareth Langley and Marcus St Hilaire.

Elsewhere on the National Leagues transfer merry-go-round, Rochdale have signed ex-Halifax winger Andy Smith for next season, while the Hornets have also snapped up former St Anne's winger John Gillam, who was at Blackpool this season.

Mick Cassidy, who retires from playing at the end of 2008, has followed Dave Armitstead — now believed to be a target for Whitehaven, Leigh and Gateshead among others — out of the exit door at promoted Barrow.

Swinton have taken on Mike Wainwright from Leigh, but there is discontent among supporters at the club with rumours circulating that a relocation to Darwen, near Blackburn, is on the cards.