Oldham RLFC have appointed Martyn Ridyard as club captain ahead of the 2022 Betfred League One season.
Ridyard has spent the vast majority of his career with the Leigh Centurions but has also enjoyed one-year spells with Huddersfield Giants, Featherstone Rovers and Swinton Lions in recent seasons.
On his appointment, Ridyard said: “I’m at the stage of my career now when I should be leading by example anyway. Neverthless, it’s good to have the job and I’m excited by it. I just hope I can do the job justice.
“I certainly have the right environment thanks to the superb job done by Stu [Littler] and Brendan [Sheridan] during pre-season. We have no cliques, no egos. We are a group and we are as one, and that’s especially creditable for the job done by Stu and Brendan, given that most of the lads are at the club for the first time.
“When I first turned up for training, I didn’t know a single player and I wasn’t on my own. It wasn’t entirely a bad thing because it put everyone on their toes, but the main thing that has turned us all into good mates has been the way Stu and Brendan have gone about things.
“At first it was only natural that we had two groups – the Lancy lads and the Yorkshire lads. But they’ve brought us together as one and the bonding has been remarkable. We still have the inter-county banter, but it’s all friendly fun and everything is looking good.”
Oldham boss Stuart Littler added: “Martyn and I go back a long way, but I stress he is not club captain just because he is a good mate of mine.
“He is captain because he ticks all the boxes. Even we are surprised to find this is his first club captaincy. As a natural leader, a clever tactician, hugely experienced, cool under pressure and a good bloke whom the younger lads will go to with questions, his selection as captain was an absolute no-brainer.
“On top of all that, he knows the game inside out and he knows exactly how I want us to play.”
Oldham will face Wakefield Trinity in a pre-season friendly at the Vestacare Stadium on Saturday 22 January.
