Forward calls time on career

ANDY Isherwood, Oldham RL Club’s 31-year-old second-row forward, has announced his retirement from rugby league.

He played in 17 of the Roughyeds’ 27 competitive matches last season, but has since told the club that he has reached the end of the line.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries over the years,” he said, “And, as I discovered last season, they are now taking their toll. It was a season too far for me. It’s time for me to go.”

The former Wigan, Leigh (twice), Widnes, Rochdale and Swinton forward had a brief stay with Oldham at the start of the 2005 season.

With Gary Mercer as coach back then, Isherwood played three pre-season games — against Hornets in the Law Cup and friendlies against Halifax and Leeds — before leaving the sport for a couple of years and then surfacing again at Rochdale.

He was at Swinton in 2010 and this time last year he rejected an offer from Hornets to return to Oldham on a one-year contract.

He is the second Oldham player to wave farewell to the club and the sport, following the lead set by 34-year-old Marcus St Hilaire.

St Hilaire, who played more than 200 Super League games with Huddersfield, Leeds and Bradford before coming to Oldham, leaves Roughyeds with an unqualified endorsement of the club’s youth policy.

“Some of the best young backs in both divisions of Championship rugby are here at Oldham,” he said.

“I honestly believe that the squad currently being assembled for next year will be good enough to go all the way and win promotion.”

Of the 16 players already announced as signed up for 2012 there are two newcomers in prop Danny Heaton (30) and second-row man Paul Smith (34) and four young guns from the trophy-winning under-23s side — halfback Jamie Dallimore, prop Danny Langtree, centre David Cookson and loose-forward Alex Thompson.

Highly-rated teenage centre Matthew Fogarty (eight tries in 12 senior appearances in his first season with the club) has also re-signed for next year.