Hamilton ‘hopeful’ over ground talks

Oldham Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton - hopeful

OLDHAM RL chairman Chris Hamilton remains hopeful Roughyeds will be playing Kingstone Press Championship rugby next season at Athletic’s SportsDirect.com Park.

As men at the forefront of the battle to protect and preserve the town’s professional sporting landscape Hamilton and Latics counterpart Simon Corney have met several times in recent weeks since it emerged newly-promoted Roughyeds would need to find a new home, Whitebank being below the RFL’s standard for the division.

Hamilton says he understands why fans are getting fidgety about the delay in finalising a ground for next season.

“I share the frustrations of our fans. The club would love to be announcing admission and season-ticket prices for next season but that’s obviously not possible until we know where.

“I hope supporters appreciate we’re not in direct control. There are issues Simon Corney has to ensure are covered before any kind of formal agreement. We are continuing to move forward though, and we remain hopeful.”