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Some happy memories

23/ 1/2008

NEW Year’s Day 1998 – a day when everyone shook off their inevitable hangovers from saying goodbye to 1997.

England’s footballers were only five months away from that summer’s World Cup, while the Britpop movement was on its way to imploding as it slowly dawned on a legion of ‘mad for it’ Oasis fans that ‘Be Here Now’ was not the work of genius they had initially thought.

In local rugby league circles though, the day was memorable because it was when the reformed Roughyeds marked their first game by going to Spotland and beating Rochdale Hornets 36-16 in the Law Cup.

Tries from Joe McNicholas (two), Adrian Mead, Mike Prescott, Martin Maders and Ian Sinfield, plus six Brian Quinlan goals, gave Oldham a shock victory in front of 3,097 spectators.

The ‘new club’ boasts only two survivors from that day, chief executive Chris Hamilton – then the chairman – and reserve team boss John Hough, the first player to sign for the relaunched Oldham.

Mr Hamilton had spent much of New Year’s Eve chasing Salford counterpart John Wilkinson around the Willows, trying to get the release form signed that would allow Sinfield to play.

He said: "For me the Law Cup will always be special because of January 1, 1998 when we played, and beat, Rochdale in our first game as the new club.

"I can still vividly remember the day and the atmosphere like it was yesterday and to win the game after having next to no time to put a club together – never mind a team – was incredible.

"The great thing about the Law Cup of course is that it doesn’t matter what division the two teams are in it still provides the opportunity to play against our local rivals and over the years there have been many times when local pride and bragging rights have been the source of heated arguments between fans of both sides.

"The recent games between the teams have witnessed a drop in the attendances and this is perhaps due to the fact that with the Northern Rail Cup we now can play Rochdale up to five times a season and people say that familiarity breeds contempt – maybe this is a case in point.

"Nevertheless the Law Cup provides the opportunity for the winning side to get their hands on a piece of silverware and given that neither team has exactly been over successful in the recent years that in itself provides one very good reason to get one over our ‘nearest and dearest.’"

It was just as emotional for Hough who had grown up watching Oldham play at Watersheddings.

He added: "It was pretty much a scratch team we had out that day. We were the underdogs and it was one of those things that will stick in my memory.

"I don’t think we had any expectations going into that game to be honest because of the nature of the team we had out that day – you don’t tend to have any pressure on you. It was a great result though and one which we thoroughly enjoyed.

"We’d won the Law Cup and went into the league season on the crest of a wave but it didn’t go to plan. We struggled but success doesn’t come quickly when you’re building a new team."

SHOULD Sunday’s Law Cup game go ahead, the Roughyeds’ man-of-the-match will be presented with the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust Trophy.

Whoever is named as Oldham’s top performer will follow previous winners Ian Watson (2004), Andy Isherwood (2005) and James Kirkland (2006).