Wolves duo join Oldham cause

JOHN Hough’s Roughyeds’ class of 2011 has been strengthened by the arrival of two young guns from Warrington Wolves in back-row forwards Alex Thompson and Chris Dean.

Thompson, who can also play hooker, was in the Wolves first-team squad last season and made the occasional appearance in Super League.

Both he and Dean have joined a Roughyeds’ reserve team squad which currently comprises of 21 young hopefuls.

Hough has already set high standards by starting early on pre-season work and ordering four training sessions a week — three in the gym at Viking Fitness in Lees, plus a Saturday session at the Radclyffe Athletics Centre in Chadderton.

“My goal for 2011, as ever, is to produce more players for the first team,” said Hough.

Chris Clarke, Ben Heaton and Scott Mansfield came through the reserves, as did the latest additions to the first-team squad — Johnny Walker, Mick Diveney and Alistair Williams.

Hoping to follow them eventually are five young hopefuls who are halfway through two-year deals — Michael Ward, Austen Barrowclough, Jacob Kinney, Ross Coates and Ben Marsden.

New recruit Matthew Fogarty, an 18-year-old centre, will also fancy his chances, operating alongside skipper Jamie Knight.