Roughyeds deals for coaching pair

JOHN HOUGH and Leo Casey will again be tasked with bringing through talented youngsters through the reserves ranks this season.

The pair have both signed new one-year deals to stay on with the club, with Hough as head coach once more and Casey his assistant. They will begin their game-day duties on Friday night as the latest crop of players takes to the field in a pre-season game at Hunslet (8pm kick off and not 7.30pm as previously stated).

After last season’s restarting of a second team, the hope is that more will follow in the footsteps of quintet Anthony Bingham, Mark Smith, Chris Clarke, Scott Mansfield and Ben Heaton — all of whom made enough of an impression to land two-year professional contracts.

“We are very familiar with both John and Leo through their time here as players and they showed their credentials last year in getting the reserves up and running, which was important for the club,” said Roughyeds chief executive Chris Hamilton.

“We feel, as they do, that there are areas that everybody can improve and the experience gained last year will stand us in good stead going forward.

“The aim is to produce more players who can go on to first-team football and we feel that with the set-up we have in place there is a good chance of that happening.”

The majority of young players in the coming reserves season have arrived from local amateur clubs, with others travelling in from Rochdale, Leigh and Warrington. Some already have professional experience.

With a bigger professional roster than last season, Oldham also plan to use the reserves set-up to give game time to players not hitting coach Tony Benson’s first-team squad more than was the case in 2008.