We spoke to head coach Sean Long in the build up to the brand new 2025 Betfred Championship season...
Sean Long’s Oldham are gearing up for life back in the Betfred Championship, with Round 1 of the new campaign almost upon us.
The Roughyeds were crowned Betfred League One champions in 2024 and will compete in the Championship competition for the first time since 2021.
Long’s men were a force to be reckoned with last year, winning 19 out of a possible 20 matches as they achieved their spectacular promotion. And impressively, they had promotion sealed as early as August before going on to lift the trophy in front of a bumper crowd at Boundary Park.
They will now be hoping to make their mark in the second tier, and Oldham, captained by hometown hero Jordan Turner, have prepared particularly well for this step up - by bolstering their squad with plenty more talent and experience.
Their new signings include former Super League stalwarts Matty Ashurst, Iain Thornley, Josh Drinkwater, Gil Dudson and Adam Milner, which puts them in very good stead to compete in a league already littered with stars.
And Long, who is at the helm for his third year as a head coach, has reflected on his side's huge accomplishment:
“It was outstanding. We had a together a team we knew could compete in the Championship, and fortunately for us, we got promoted and we’ve recruited well for this year," Long said.
“We had an outstanding season last year, I’m really proud of the lads, the fans got on board, the community supported us, which was great.
“But we have to reset now going into the Championship because it’s a different competition altogether.
“We’ve parked that one now. We’ve still got our DNA as a club and our system. But we need to fix up some things pretty quickly, we’re not the finished article just yet.
“We’ve signed a few new players and we’ve got to get used to each other. I think we’ll get better as the season goes on.
“There are also a lot of rugby league players in Oldham that always get picked up by other ‘bigger’ clubs, but we’d like to keep those players."
Oldham have come a long way over the past two years, both on and off the field - ever since early 2023 saw an exciting new takeover of the club - by Oldham legend Mike Ford.
Not only did this kickstart a new era and transform the club in a number of ways, but this acquistion also saw them return to a revamped Boundary Park for 2024.
And so after their sensational season, Long is optimistic about where the club is heading and looking forward to what the future holds:
“It’s a good club. We’re heading in the right direction, Mike Ford is doing his best off the field and we’ve got to do our best to provide on the field, but we know it’s going to be tough."
Acknowledging the challenge that lies ahead in the Championship, Long is ready to learn new lessons at the next level:
“I’ve always been an assistant coach up until the last three years. This will be my third year as a head coach. Sometimes I believe you learn a lot more from losses than wins.
"This next level will hopefully make me a better coach. We're ready to get started."
Captain Jordan Turner has also given his thoughts:
“We’ve been grafting! Last season was a pipe dream when we set out 12 to 18 months ago, but look at us now and look at the calibre walking into work every day.
“It’s an exciting time for Oldham. It’s a surreal feeling seeing the transformation of our club. Everything is a surreal feeling for me, I sometimes pinch myself that I’m back here.
“Boundary Park is a great place to play. Moving there a few seasons ago was a big part of what the club wants to do in terms of growing the support base, sponsorship and commercial side.
“But I think it has also helped attract the kind of players we have here now because of the facilities and the quality of the surface. It has really elevated our professionalism!"
Oldham's opening game sees them host York Knights this Sunday, which promises to be a competitive encounter.
How do you think Oldham will fare in 2025 Betfred Championship competition?
The full fixture list for the new Betfred Championship season can be found here.
