Goulden boost for Roughyeds

THE Oldham squad for next season continues to take shape after Tommy Goulden pinned his colours to the Roughyeds mast for another 12 months.

The second row or loose forward joins Lucas Onyango, brothers James and Thomas Coyle, Luke Menzies, Gary Sykes, Rob Roberts, Andy Ballard, Luke Sutton and Marcus St Hilaire on the roster for 2009.

Even though a head coach to replace Steve Deakin has yet to be sorted out — the deadline for applications was today — Oldham officials believe they must act now to have the “bones of a squad in place” for when the new man walks through the door.

Club chief executive Chris Hamilton explained: “We’ve spoken to potential candidates and they are all happy to accept that we need to sign players.

“We need the bones of a squad in place after which the coach, whoever it may be, can add his own flavour to it.

“We can’t afford to sit back and wait until the new man is appointed before putting a group of players together, otherwise we will get left behind.”

Goulden is the latest face from 2008 to be recruited and was keen to stay on at OIdham.

A former BARLA Great Britain captain, he gained respect from players and fans alike for his no-nonsense approach after switching from Rochdale Hornets.

But for a foot ligament injury he sustained at Doncaster in National League Two, he would have been an ever-present for Oldham.

He returned for the play-off game at home to Doncaster and featured in the Grand Final defeat against the same opposition.

Mr Hamilton added: “Tommy is a good, hard player who applies himself in every game he plays. He was one of our top performers last season.

“He didn’t want to go anywhere and we were keen to keep him.”