Oldham’s home plan

OLDHAM are hoping to play ALL their home games at Boundary Park next season.

In all previous campaigns since the club reformed in 1997, work on the playing surface during the summer has seen the Roughyeds temporarily decamp to alternative venues.

Sedgley Park has played host to two of the club’s league games while annual pitch work was carried out for the last four seasons.

This time, though, Roughyeds officials are hopeful that their request to the RFL for a two-month period free of home fixtures will be accepted.

The plan is to play home games at Boundary Park on Sunday, May 17 and Sunday, July 19, with only away matches in between — thus getting around the annual pitch repair problem.

“In previous seasons, playing ‘home’ games away from Boundary Park hasn’t hurt us in terms of results,” said Roughyeds chief executive Chris Hamilton.

“Financially, though, it hasn’t done us any favours and we are now hoping to have a big push on season tickets with people knowing they can see all the games at Boundary Park.
“It is all subject to the RFL being able to work it in. There will be a number of requests from other teams but we are hopeful they can accommodate us.”

Draft fixture lists are expected to be issued to clubs in the next two weeks, with published playing schedules likely to appear in early December.

The first Northern Rail Cup fixture is due to be played on Sunday, February 8.

o FORMER Oldham St Anne’s forward Mick Wallace has been banned for two years by the RFL following a positive drugs test.

The 21-year-old, who played as a triallist in National League Two at Blackpool last season, tested positive for Norandrosterone, an anabolic steroid, in a sample taken from a June 25 training session.

The suspension starts from October 9, the date of the original hearing.