Football is Tony’s driving force

Pride in Oldham nominee Tony Mills.

IT is hard to imagine what life would be like at Oldham Boro if you took boss Tony Mills out of the equation.

Picking the team and training the Vodkat North-West Counties League Division One outfit alongside joint manager Gary Brown is just the tip of the iceberg.

Mills has spent the last 10 years driving the squad to games, producing the matchday programme, looking after the playing surface — and even washing the kit.

His hands-on involvement in annual fundraisers has also earned plaudits from everyone connected with the club, and now he has been nominated for the Pride in Oldham awards in the sports administrator category.

Mills said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 10 years. It is true that I am involved in a lot of what goes on at Oldham Boro but I would not do it if I didn’t love football.

“I cannot believe it has been a decade. I still get a buzz out of the day-to-day things.”

Mills joined the club after working his way up the football ladder, firstly at junior and pub sides before a successful spell at Failsworth Town in the Manchester League.

His impact there caught the eye of Boro, known at the time as Oldham Town, and following three years as general manager he took over team affairs and has not looked back since.

His enthusiasm for the sport is being reflected on the pitch, with Mills delighted with a marked improvement in his players’ attitude this term.

He added: “We finished much lower in the table than any of us would have liked last season, so after the last match I had a long chat with the players, during which I made it clear how unacceptable it was.

“It is not just the fact we were losing matches. The lack of commitment was more disappointing, so this season I only use players who make themselves available for training and selection whenever possible.

“The turnaround is unbelievable. The lads know if they do not train, there is a big chance they won’t play. I am delighted with the response.”

Mills moulded his management style on his former North Manchester High School teacher Brian Rawlings, who was tragically killed in a place crash just weeks before an under-21s league curtain-raiser.

“He was an inspiration,” Mills recalled. “I was going to be one of the players in his under-21s side but before the first fixture could even be played the accident occurred, and none of us could believe it.

“I took charge of the team as a tribute to him.”