Oldham RL coach Long praises Ford and chairman Bill

Ford was part of a five-strong consortium that took control of the club in March 2023 before Bill Quinn was brought on board, bringing big investment to Oldham both on and off the field.

“This wouldn’t have been possible, without Bill and Mike,” said Long.

“When I spoke to them last year about coming on board, they showed me where they wanted to take Oldham and I jumped at the chance – it was a no brainer.

“It all starts from the top and Bill and Mike have been right behind me and the team.

“They’ve been doing the stuff off the field and we’ve had to back it up on the field. Their support has been outstanding.”

Long admitted the win at Cougar Park was not Roughyeds’ most glamorous but he praised their dogged defensive efforts which saw them defend huge swathes of Cougars attacks.

“We had to work really hard to see it through,” he explained. “During the first quarter we were really in control, but we knew at one stage they’d have their moments in the game.

“We had to hold our nerve and keep them out and full credit to the boys because they did exactly that.

“Our defence was really good – we were a bit scratchy in the second half, if I’m being honest, but sometimes you’ve got to win ugly.

“It’s a tough place to come and get the two points, especially with what was riding on it. We could have let the emotion get to us, but we didn’t.”

Long also appealed for Oldham supporters to come out in large numbers for the last two games of the season.

They are back at Boundary Park on Sunday when they face Cornwall (1pm ko) before finishing against Workington Town on September 1 where they will lift the trophy.

“We’ve got two left,” he said. “I want to enjoy them at Boundary Park and get as many fans in there as possible. We want to pick up the shield in front of a packed, full house.”

Tickets can be found at www.roughyeds.co.uk