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by ROGER HALSTEAD
OLDHAM'S ill-fated Northern Rail Cup clash with derby rivals Hornets
RL has finally been given the green light by the Rugby Football
League.
It has been switched from Sunday to Monday night (8.00pm kick off)
and it will be staged at Sedgley Park RU Club in Whitefield -- a
venue that Roughyeds have used regularly in the past.
A traumatic two days for club chairman Chris Hamilton began when the
RFL refused Oldham's request to postpone the game until early March
-- a request made because Roughyeds were not in a position to stage
the game at their proposed new home in the borough.
The Mayfield Sports Centre in Rochdale looked like coming to the
rescue, but the RFL then vetoed that plan as well because of safety
issues.
Finally, Sedgley Park came up trumps, but with a rugby union game
taking place there tomorrow (Sat) and Swinton Lions playing there on
Sunday, Roughyeds had to settle for an evening kick-off on Monday.
"We had looked at an evening kick-off on Sunday," said the Roughyeds
chief, "but the practicalities and logistics of staging a game so
soon after the Swinton match meant it was a non-starter.
"The only other option open to us, after we had talked to the RFL
and to Hornets, was to go for Monday night.
"It's been a traumatic couple of days, but at the Roughyeds we are
used to crisis management and we intend to turn this into a positive
in the hope of getting a decent crowd.
"We lose money every time we play out of town, but we hope people
understand the position we are in and do their best to get to the
game on Monday night to support the club. Apart from anything else
our first home game of the season should be a cracker against our
derby rivals."
Admission prices are £12 adults, £7 concessions and £5 under-16s
with a £2 transfer into the stand.
Enough seats for Roughyeds' season-ticket holders will be reserved
until 15 minutes before kick-off.
They have paid only for standing this year, due to the unusual
circumstances caused by the plans to move into a new home ground,
but as a gesture of goodwill the £2 transfer on Monday night will be
waived for season-ticket holders who wish to sit.
Fans who have not yet collected their season tickets can do so from
the club office in Lansdowne Road, Chadderton up to 5.00pm today and
up to the same time on Monday.
++NEIL Roden, the Oldham stand-off, will have a case heard by the
RFL disciplinary committee in Leeds either next Tuesday or Wednesday
after being placed on report for a high tackle in last Sunday's
Northern Rail Cup tie at Leigh.
Referee Ronnie Laughton referred the incident to the sport's
disciplinary department and they studied the tackle on the match
video before deciding Roden had a case to answer.
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