Fans set 92-club driving record

ON the road . . . the group are waved off from Boundary Park at the start of their record breaking journey

AFTER three days of near constant driving a group of Latics fans have triumphantly arrived back in Oldham with a record under their belts.

The eight soccer-mad supporters set a new best for driving to all 92 football stadiums in the country in the quickest time — and have raised thousands for charity.

They set off on Friday evening and arrived home weary but delighted just before midnight yesterday after completing a mammoth 2,500 mile journey in 771/2 hours.

While it was outside the 76-hour target they set themselves it still beat the previous fastest time logged by QPR fans by almost an hour.

The intrepid fans undertook the adventure for Trust Oldham to raise money for The Samantha Jones Trust and raise awareness of the threat of skin cancer.

They took with them the famous “Ernie Flag” — created in memory of former Latics star Ernie Cooksey who died of malignant melanoma last year.

Taking part were Richard Attwood, Stephen Ackroyd, Simon Colebrook, Peter Wright, Mark Scoltock, Tracy Scoulding, Paul Oakes and John Beard.

Mr Attwood (32) said: “It’s one of the hardest things I have ever done.

“There were massive traffic problems in Chesterfield and London, which cost us time.”

Vauxhall dealers Pentagon Oldham supplied two cars for the journey and fuel and have offered to double what their staff donate.

The group want to buy a memorial bench in tribute to Ernie and collected souvenirs from clubs that will be donated to children’s hospices.