Treadwell proves Hulmeians’ spirit

STILL GOING STRONG: Peter Treadwell has spent three decades at Oldham Hulmeians. ‘It is a great club, run by people who want the best for all concerned, and that’s the main reason I’ve been with them all this time’

AMATEUR FOOTBALL: A SETTLED side can be one of the keys to success at any level of football, a fact Oldham Hulmeians know only too well following a topsy-turvy start to the season.

Hulmeians, now managed by Bill Fairfoull, are just below mid-table in division two of the Lancashire Amateur League.

Although they only possess an outside chance of promotion this season, a return to a higher division is a realistic target in years to come with the playing talent at the club.

But having that talent available on a consistent basis is proving problematic, with a number of key players unavailable at various times because of work commitments.

Hulmeians spokesman Simon Toms said: “We don’t think there’s much between most of the teams in this division.

“We are capable of challenging at the top if we can find that consistency we’ve been lacking in recent years.

“If we can put out a settled team, we’ll have a good chance of success because we’ve got a good blend of youth and experience in the ranks.”

Fairfoull is pinning a lot of faith in young strikers Danny Proffitt and Danny Tate, who have shown bags of promise.

A glance at Hulmeians’ recent history shows that they have had a fairly up-and-down time.

Promotion to division one in 2000-01 was followed a few years later by another elevation to the league’s top flight, where they spent two seasons.

Ex-Latics’ goalkeeper Jon Hallworth was joint manager of the first team at that time.

Hulmeians then ran into a barren spell which saw them suffer two successive relegations, but there is still plenty to celebrate.

The second team won promotion to division five last season in Geoff Howard’s first campaign as manager and the early signs are that more success could be just around the corner.

And in a shining example of dedication, Peter Treadwell continues to be a first-team regular at the age of 48, having joined Hulmeians three decades ago.

Heyside-based Treadwell, a former Hulme Grammar School pupil, has played mostly for the first team in that time.

He keeps fit by going to the gymnasium three times a week and trains with Hulmeians on Tuesdays.

Treadwell said: “It is great to still be playing regularly, although I am a bit stiff on Sundays.

“When we reached the premier division in 2001 I felt that we could have gone on and won it if we could have kept hold of some of our key players.

“There were some great players then, like Lee and Tony Deakin and Darryl Weston.”

Treadwell’s two sons, 23-year-old James and Elliot (21) have not followed in their father’s footsteps, Peter adding that football is not in their blood.

“Hulmeians is a great club, run by people who want the best for all concerned,” added Treadwell.

“And that is the main reason ‘I’ve been with them all this time.”

Former Oldham Evening Chronicle reporter Toms, himself a Hulmeians veteran of 13 years, said: “Despite his age, Peter puts many of us younger ones to shame with his level of fitness.

“He’s a shining example of commitment and dedication to the game.

“You could say he’s the Paolo Maldini of the Lancashire Amateur League, but even he didn’t play to 48!”