Captain Turner urges fans to make Boundary Park special

Oldham captain Jordan Turner has revealed that joining his hometown club means more than anything he has experienced in an illustrious career, and is urging Roughyeds fans to join the exciting journey in “one of the best periods in recent history”.

The 35-year-old admits that the draw of playing for Oldham represented the perfect way to end to his own playing career, and believes the buzz around the club since the takeover has given the whole town a massive lift.

Turner says the recent Cup setbacks at York and Swinton will prove a hugely important learning experience for a squad hungry to achieve its goal of promotion to the Betfred Championship this year, adding that patience is key to realising that exciting dream.

“We are just laying foundations and the main aim for this team and this club was to get out of this division this year, and we are still fully focused on that,” said Turner in an exclusive interview with Roughyeds TV.
“It is not all doom and gloom, we had a fantastic start with the wins at Halifax and Barrow and then a good result against Rochdale.
“We have had a bit of a blip over the last couple of weeks.
“It was never going to be plain sailing and we were just going to blow everyone away.
“I’ve been involved in the sport for a long time and I know things don’t just happen overnight when you have successful teams.
“It’s a shame as I had a dream of going to Wembley with Oldham but it wasn’t to be – maybe next year.
“It was a reality check and we were always going to have a blip at some point, so playing those higher teams in the Championship has been a lesson learned for us on the journey.”

The defeats in both the 1895 and Challenge Cups took some wind out of the sails of an Oldham side who made a flying start to 2024, and came at a price with key men Elijah Taylor, Craig Kopczak and Pat Moran all picking up injuries.

But Turner, who is approaching almost 400 career games across big spells at Castleford, Huddersfield, St Helens, Hull FC and Salford, says that having the opportunity to build a positive future for his hometown is as special as anything he has experienced during his elite rugby career.

“I have supported this club since being a boy, so I know the periods of the club and this is one of the best periods in its recent history,” he added.
“In a roundabout way it means more to me than when I have played at other clubs.
“I have been proud to represent every club I have played for, but have never really had that connection with the club that I do here.
“This is a little bit more sentimental, so when things don’t go our way or my way I am frustrated.
“It means a lot for me to be here. I could have retired and, on these cold nights, I could have been sat at home.
“I have had a long career, but I choose to be here because I want to be here and I want to be part of this club’s success at the start.
“It is going to take off past my playing career, but I want to have this bit of influence while I can.”

The Jamaica international is urging fans to be part of the Roughyeds journey this year, with the club’s new season ticket membership package launched this week and believes Boundary Park could become one of the most atmospheric venues in the league.

“We have seen from the first game how special it can be at Boundary Park,” he said.
“The fans are as passionate as ever, and are still the same people that I used to stand on the terrace with as a kid.
“My mum and all my family are stood on the terraces with them, so I know how passionate they are – and how this town is – for us to do well and to get kicking again from where the club was in the past.
“We are on the right path, we just need a few more wins under our belt and the good times will be rolling.
“Why wouldn’t you get a season ticket? I know I would if I wasn’t playing.
“All my family have season tickets and some of my friends have come out of the woodwork and started watching again.
“So all you people in the woodwork come out and get your season tickets, it will be worth it.”