Roughyeds continue with reserves team

OLDHAM have confirmed they will once again be running a reserves side next season.

The second-string competition was marred last year by unfulfilled fixtures and a number of clubs from the Co-operative Championship leagues — including Batley and Rochdale — have since pulled the plug, with the adverse economic climate playing a big role in such decisions.

But as far as the Roughyeds are concerned, taking part in the 2009 reserves league will continue to give a young group of players, sourced mainly from local amateur clubs, the chance to gain more valuable experience.

“We have spoken to a lot of the reserves lads who didn’t turn professional after last season,” said chief executive Chris Hamilton.

“They will have benefited from playing at that level and we are hoping to get many of them back here, along with some new players.”

The reserves team, coached by John Hough and Leo Casey, was resurrected last season and produced five players who have since signed professional contracts with the club.

Scott Mansfield, Chris Clarke, Ben Heaton, Mark Smith and Anthony Bingham are all currently training with the first team under Tony Benson after penning two-year deals.

Having informed the RFL of the decision to field a reserves side, Oldham officials are now waiting to receive details of the format of next season’s competition.

Stricter penalties are understood to have been put in place to discourage cancellations, such as the occasion in July when Workington informed Oldham on the morning of the scheduled game that they couldn’t raise a side to travel to Sedgley Park.

A suggestion has been put to the governing body by the club that the season should start and finish slightly later in order to avoid clashing with the end of the winter amateur season.


FORMER Salford coach Karl Harrison, linked with the Oldham job following the departure of Steve Deakin, has joined the youth coaching set–up at Huddersfield.