Familiar faces on show

A HOST of former Roughyeds stars are set to take to the field against Swinton at Sedgley Park this weekend.

The joint testimonial for former Oldham hooker John Hough and current Lions full-back Wayne English is to be split into two.

The opening 20 minutes will feature famous names of the past 10 years, while the remaining hour will see the modern-day squad do battle — weather permitting.

Confirmed as rolling back the years for Oldham alongside Hough so far are Jason Clegg, Leo Casey, Keith Brennan, Phil Farrell, David and Anthony Gibbons, Chris Hough and Mark Sibson, plus current Roughyeds assistant coach Mark Cass, with others yet to be named to join in as well.

Following the completion of the opening quarter, Tony Benson’s side will get a run-out for the first time under their new coach for the remainder of the 80 minutes.

Entrance at Sedgley Park has been set at £10 (adults), £5 (concessions) and £1 (children), with a number of flyers to be put up in local schools this week promoting an offer where a child goes free with every paying adult.

Individual player sponsorships on the day are up for grabs at £10 each and can be arranged by calling 07989 530342.

Oldham were unable to train last Friday due to ground frost and with the cold weather set to continue well into this week, the opportunity to get involved with some ball work at Sedgley Park would be most welcome.

The final pre-season game for Oldham is another two weeks away, at home to Huddersfield Giants on Sunday, January 25, while the game against Leeds Rhinos on Tuesday, February 17, has been confirmed as a 7.45pm kick-off at Boundary Park.

The competitive season opens with a Northern Rail Cup game at home to Rochdale on Sunday, February 8. The future of the troubled Hornets is still up in the air, with the latest proposal put forward being a merger with Rochdale Football Club.