Connect with us

Rugby League News

Oldham chairman apologises to supporters and the RFL following Challenge Cup exit

Oldham RLFC chairman Christopher Hamilton has issued an apology following the club’s first ever defeat to amateur opposition.

Oldham were soundly beaten by Castleford Lock Lane – an amateur side in the Conference Premier competition – who managed to stun their League 1 opponents in a 22-12 victory.

That defeat, as well as the light failure that occurred during the game, meant Oldham were subjected to taunts and now Hamilton has had his say.

“Firstly, I want to congratulate Lock Lane on what was a deserved victory – no question about that. We wish them well in the next round,” Hamilton told the Oldham website.

“However, on behalf of the club I want to say sorry to our fans and sponsors for what was an embarrassing night for us.

“It was a bitterly disappointing night for the club, and for me personally, both on and off the pitch.

“On it, we failed to show the desire that is a pre requisite in any game and we ultimately paid the price. For the wrong reasons, we created a little bit of club history.

“Off the field, the problems with the floodlights, for the second game in a row, was the last thing we needed, especially in front of a live audience, both at the ground and via OuRLeague.

“I have already apologised, last night, to Ralph Rimmer, the Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League on the club’s behalf.

“After the Wakefield game, when we experienced similar problems, we took action based on what Avro had told us had caused the issue, but given that it happened again last night there’s clearly another problem. We will obviously follow this up again, given the recurring problem last night.

“What this does highlight, once again, is the massive issue that not having a ground of our own causes. For 25 years now we have battled against this problem and continue to do so. It is incredibly hard to move forward when, ultimately, we are not in control of our own destiny. Fans can rest assured that this is something we continue to work on to try and rectify and that will not change.

“A lot of hard work has gone into pre-season, with what is primarily a brand-new squad, and sadly, a lot of the optimism generated will have been dented last night. That is something the players have to take responsibility for because it is they who take the field.

“As Chairman I will continue to work as hard as ever and in Stu Littler we have a coach who cares very much about what happens and, like us all, is hurting right now.

“We are not naive enough to think this one game will define our season and in some ways it will be used as additional motivation by us, collectively, to ensure that, come the start of the league season in March, we are as well prepared as we can be.

“Once again sorry, but please keep up your great support.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Must See

More in Rugby League News