Prop looks to end season with a flourish

OLDHAM prop David Ellison has “loved every minute” of his first season at the club. In fact he doesn’t want it to end.

And the former Swinton and London Skolars front rower is confident of a high-note finish with victory over York City Knights in the Co-operative Championship One play-off final on Sunday.

Ellison who, along with Jason Boults, has signed a new deal for 2011, said: “I don’t want it to end. It’s been fantastic.

“My first season here has exceeded expectations. I’ve loved every minute. I’m dreading it ending. We’ve got a fabulous team spirit and a good coaching team.

“I’m expecting us to win promotion, but if we lose I still want to be part of the same group of players next year, playing in front of the same superb supporters.”

Leigh-born, Ellison arrived at Oldham last autumn, and quickly became a fans’ favourite by offloading cleverly, sidestepping like a centre or carrying Oldham over the gain line with bursts of genuine speed.

Remarkably for a prop, Ellison is ever-present with 27 appearances out of 27. More remarkably, the club’s other front-line props, Boults and Wayne Kerr, are close behind with Boults having missed two games and Kerr one.

This trusty trio between them have scored 19 tries and clocked up 78 appearances out of a possible 81 — a massive contribution in the side’s engine room to everything Roughyeds have achieved this year.

“We’ve got one more match in which to achieve our objective,” said 28-year-old Ellison.

“It will be my first play-off final at this level, but myself and the other first-timers want to do it for the boys who have suffered disappointments in the last few years.

“Players like Neil Roden, Marcus St Hilaire and Paul O’Connor are determined we are not going to lose four years on the run. The new boys have bought into that and will be going flat out to help them turn things round.”