Carrying on the family tradition

IN CHARGE: Martin Cooney is enjoying his second spell as Parkside manager

AMATEUR FOOTBALL: MARTIN COONEY’S second stint as manager of Parkside in the D&J Builders (North West) Ltd Oldham Sunday League is very much a case of keeping it in the family.

The 52-year-old was first in charge of the league’s oldest club from 1997 to 2002. He was also a player when they first joined the league way back in 1974.

He stepped down as manager to train as a nurse, but has been back at the helm of one of local Sunday football’s most respected clubs for the past three years.

Martin’s brother, 57-year-old David, was the Parkside manager in their formative years.

And now there is another member of the Cooney clan with a Parkside connection, Martin’s son Andrew (20), who has played for the last three seasons.

Cooney — Martin that is — said: “We are all proud of our longevity as a club and much of that is down to our president, Brian Schofield.

“He has been with the club from the start and guided us through some troubled times.

“As for Andrew, I feel as though he is as enthusiastic as I am.

“I hope the name of Parkside continues for a good while yet.”

His son Andrew also plays for the club.


Bridge settle into new surroundings

HAVING spent 25 years in the Ashton Sunday League, it came as a surprise to some to see Bridge FC in the D&J Builders (North West) Ltd Oldham Sunday League this season.

Chris Lawton, Bridge’s long-serving manager-secretary, explained: “We were in a division of just six teams last season and it meant we played each other three times.

“It all became a bit monotonous, but the straw that broke the camel’s back came at the end of the season when the league took some dicisions that we disagreed with.

“The standard of the Oldham Sunday League is very good and it seems very well organised. It has been a wake-up call for the club.”

The football club originally carried the name of Oldham GPO.