RFL to unveil fixture lists

FULL fixture lists for both the Northern Rail Cup and Championship One campaigns will be released by the RFL on Monday, it has been confirmed.

Clubs have spent this week ironing out difficulties within a draft schedule and that process is now drawing to a conclusion.

One of the issues the Roughyeds have faced is the desire to play all matches at Boundary Park this year, despite the annual pitch repair work which will be carried out midway through the summer season.

All will become clear on that score next week, as will the identity of Oldham’s opponents in the NRC, which starts on the weekend of Sunday, February 8.

In a departure from previous seasons, the first stage will now feature only four matches, as opposed to six. The likelihood is that Oldham will face two sides from the Championship and two from their own Championship One division, with one home and one away match in each category.

Season ticket sales for 2009 are said to be going at a steady pace and chief executive Chris Hamilton is braced for a pre-Christmas surge in take-up.

“We are hopeful that we will get a lot more people coming down before the deadline, given the quality of squad we have put together,” he said. “We believe it represents good value.”