OLDHAM Rugby League Club appears to be in chaos after director of rugby Mike Ford resigned.
And the Saddleworth-based former player admitted ‘the direction of travel of the club is not something that I feel I can be a part of.’
Chairman Bill Quinn is banned from the Roughyeds’ Boundary Park home for 12 months amid a dispute with Oldham Athletic.
Now Ford’s departure after helping lift the club out of the gloom of being exiled at Whitebank Stadium in League One and taking them to being serious Super League contenders casts a huge shadow in its 150th year.
Mr Ford said in a statement: “When we launched a new era for Oldham Rugby League Football Club in March 2023, our aim was to make the town proud of its team again.
“Oldham was to be at the centre of everything we wanted to achieve.
“Over the past three years, an enormous amount of work and commitment has gone into that vision, and I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved both on and off the field.
“From where the club was then to where it is now – with a youth pathway and a women’s team, our training facility and young people in the town wearing Roughyeds shirts again – this represents an extraordinary achievement built on the efforts of many people.
“Our club has been re-born.
“While we narrowly missed out on a return to Super League, I remain convinced that we were on the right track to bring rugby league at the highest level back to Oldham and to embark on the next chapter.
“However, over the past few months it has become clear that the direction of travel of the club is not something that I feel I can be a part of.
“This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but with immediate effect I am resigning from my position as Director of Rugby at Oldham Rugby League Football Club. Callum Irving, my Assistant Coach and lead of our pathway programme, has also stepped away from his role.
“I will be making no further comment other than to thank the players, staff and supporters for their incredible commitment and support over the past three years, and to wish the club every success in the future.”
The departures leave recently appointed assistant Alan Kilshaw as the senior coach at Oldham.
Roughyeds opened their Championship campaign with a 44-0 win at Salford but lost 25=8 at heavily-fancied London Broncos.
The first home league match of the season is scheduled for Friday, February 20 against Widnes Vikings.