Roughyeds return to Bower Fold

Oldham Rugby League Club has confirmed that, as expected, home games next season on promotion to the Betfred Championship will be played at the Bower Fold home of soccer club Stalybridge Celtic.

This neat, tidy and compact little ground, covered on all four sides, was the Roughyeds' temporary 'home' in 2016 and 2017 when they were last in the Betfred Championship.

They can't play at their permanent base, the Vestacare Stadium in Limehurst Village, Oldham because it doesn't meet the Rugby Football League's minimum standards criteria for a club in the sport's second tier.

Visitors to Bower Fold in Oldham's 13 home Championship games next season will be Featherstone Rovers, Widnes Vikings, Sheffield Eagles, Bradford Bulls, Leigh Centurions, Swinton Lions, York City Knights, Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams, Whitehavem, Halifax, Toulouse Olympique and London Broncos, who were in Super League last year.

Said Oldham chairman Chris Hamilton: "Bower Fold is a great venue and one our fans enjoying going to.

"While it's unfortunate that we have to move out of Oldham , that is the price of success and, having played there for two seasons in 2016 and 2017, we know we can make it a difficult place for opposing teams to visit.

"That's the intention again as we meet the challenges of being in the Championship and we are again grateful to Rob Gorski and Stalybridge Celtic for their support in allowing us to play there."

Gorski, the Celtic chairman, said: "Chris (Hamilton) and I have developed a close personal friendship over the years and I was thrilled for him when Oldham won promotion.

"He's put an immense amount of time and effort into achieving his success and I'm so pleased for him.

"We at Celtic are continuing to look for much-needed revenue streams and we're delighted to see the Roughyeds' return.

"We will again make every effort to make Oldham fans feel fully at home."

(Season-ticket prices, including Early Bird offers, will be announced at 5pm today).

By Roger Halstead