Delight at Gillam swoop

JOHN GILLAM has become the latest local-born player to sign a contract with Oldham Roughyeds.

The 25-year-old former Blackpool and Rochdale winger, who grew up playing the game at Royton Tigers and Oldham St Anne’s, is the third experienced Oldhamer to join his home-town club in the past few days after Mick Fogerty and Mark Brocklehurst.

All three were together at Hornets RL last season and the trio made debuts in yesterday’s 54-16 pre-season friendly defeat at Batley, Fogerty grabbing a pair of second-half tries.

Gillam, a second-half substitute in the game at Mount Pleasant, has signed a one-year deal.

“He is a very good athlete and we are delighted to get John on board,” said coach Tony Benson.

“He is very intense in everything he does and he has a fair turn of speed. He contacted me some time ago, but at that stage I wasn’t looking for a winger.

“He came to train with our reserves, like Mick Fogerty and Mark Brocklehurst, and not only did he fit in very quickly but he was very fast in picking up the sort of things we were striving to do.”

Gillam first turned professional for Blackpool Panthers in 2008, but it isn’t widely known that he came close to joining Oldham’s paid ranks when he was 19 and played as an amateur in the Roughyeds academy team, then coached by Sean Gartland. The head coach at the time was Steve Molloy.

“They made me an offer and I was going to sign,” recalled Gillam. “But it never happened. I can’t remember why. I’m glad it’s happened now though. It will be great to represent Oldham.”

“It looked at one stage as though I would be signing for Rochdale again. They made me an offer, but I didn’t think it was right for me.

“I went back to play for St Anne’s for a short while, but then Brocky (Mark Brocklehurst) told me he was training with the reserves at Oldham so I spoke to John Hough and things have moved on from there.”

Outside rugby Gillam works at Saddleworth School with special needs children and he is studying part-time for a degree in teaching.