Hamilton’s vow

OLDHAM RL Club chairman Chris Hamilton is more desperate than anyone to see the Whitebank outfit achieve Co-operative Championship One promotion — but insists it is not “boom or bust”.

Having witnessed so many close calls during his Roughyeds tenure, nothing would delight Hamilton more than seeing the side finally make good with their threat to climb out of the division.

With four promotion places up for grabs this term, the

pressure is intense, but Hamilton claims the club will carry on regardless of the outcome of this season, which gets under way at Workington on Sunday.

Hamilton said: “I think we have to keep things in perspective. Like a number of clubs in Co-operative Championship One, we feel we have a strong chance of going up, although that is not particularly different to recent seasons.

“For a lot of people, the desire to gain promotion is heightened by the travel that will be involved next year due to the teams which are going to be in this division.

“But I must stress this — it is not boom or bust. Should we fail to go up it will not be the end of the world, even though it will feel like it for quite some time.

“It won’t be the end of the club either, even though everything we are doing is geared towards going beyond that finishing line. It is understandable that so many clubs are nailing their colours to the mast this time around, because there are twice as many promotion spots up for grabs, which makes it a fantastic opportunity.

“Clubs are signing good players left, right and centre in a bid to be competitive. We are in for a very interesting season — it is going to be great for the neutrals.”

Hamilton believes long-serving players and staff can use the disappointment of recent years to their advantage in the new campaign.

Grand final defeats at the hands of Featherstone Rovers, Doncaster and Keighley between 2008 and 2010 left the club feeling like the Jimmy White of rugby league.

Hamilton added: “The guys who were around then and are still with us now are acutely aware of what an awful feeling it is. They are stronger for the negative experiences.

“When I look back it still hurts but it can also galvanise you to do better and not go through it again.”