"I haven't been home in four days" - Oldham Athletic fans celebrate promotion to Football League
Thousands of Oldham Athletic faithfuls were in full voice as they celebrated the club's return to the Football League. Just over 8,000 fans were at Boundary Park for their play-off final win parade this evening (June 2).
Yesterday, The Latics booked their spot in League 2 in a 3-2 victory over Southend United at Wembley in the final of the National League play-offs.
The win means promotion to League 2, after three years away. In 2022 the club claimed the unwanted honour of becoming the first former Premier League side to drop into non-league football.
READ MORE: Two Brit gangsters shot dead outside Costa del Sol bar
READ MORE: 'RIP Tricky': Tributes to Mick Martindale flood in as popular ex-rugby player named as man at centre of Oldham murder investigation
The win caps a remarkable turnaround in fortunes under their new owner, charismatic local businessman Frank Rothwell, who took over the club in the summer of 2022.
Around 21,000 Oldham fans made the trip to Wembley for what was their first visit to the national stadium for over 30 years, since their FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester United in 1994.
Following the heroics, a free party was held at Boundary Park where supporters showered the players with adoration as they made a lap around the pitch, reciprocating the love.
Phil Harrop, 50, was at Wembley on Sunday, and despite being back in Oldham and at Boundary Park with his wife Nicola for the parade, he hasn't been home yet.
"I bought this t-shirt on Wednesday, and I thought I better wear it because I might never wear it again after Sunday. I've had it on for four days now." He explained to the M.E.N.
"I went to London, stayed in Watford, went to the game, drove back from Watford, went to the Fox and Pine in Oldham and then I came straight here.
"This means so much to the town. It means so much for anybody who bothers to support Oldham Athletic."
Adam Kershaw was also at Wembley with his family, he told the M.E.N: "I just wanted to have a day out at Wembley. I just wanted to experience that with my son and wife.
"It was the best feeling in the world walking down Wembley Way with your eight-year-old lad, honestly, the best feeling in the world.
"He's only ever known us in non-league so it felt special. It was kind of a big two fingers up to his mates who support United and City.
"He went into school this morning with a scarf, bragging about how he's been to Wembley."
Jack Lusty, 29 and his mate Liam Paull, 30, could barely speak with their voices still recovering from the weekend. Nonetheless, they stressed how important the win was for the town.
Liam said: "We've been nothing since I've started supporting Oldham, it's been thirty years of misery.
"I didn't cry when my child was born, but I shed a few tears. When we won, I was full of tears!
"What's massive about the win is, if you look around, it's the amount of children. All they know is that Oldham have just done that. These children will be coming here now instead of City or United."
"No one will understand the journey we've been on to get that moment." Added Jack. "That's what makes it so special.
"Hopeful it's the first of many now and we're back on our way up."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-England international relishes seeing better representation for young girls in football
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat Former England international Carly Telford loves hearing young girls talk about female role models in football having grown-up with only men visible at elite level in sport. Telford, from County Durham, achieved 27 caps in an England shirt and appeared in three FA Cup finals with Leeds United, Chelsea and Notts County. Advertisement She lacked visible representation during her youth but since taking on her post-playing role working at Chelsea Women as a Commercial Manager, she can see new opportunities for young girls. 'I basically didn't have any female role models until I was a lot older,' she said. 'If I was asked that question as a youngster, I would have said David Beckham or David Ginola. 'I was in a school last week, and we were doing the trophy tour for the FA Cup. I sat down next to a group of girls, and I said, 'Oh, who are your role models?' and they said Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Lauren James and that is just so normal for them. Advertisement 'To see them writing their names down, wishing them good luck, it's just so inspiring for them to be like, I see myself in her, or I want to be like her one day.' A study by Sure in 2024 found that 58% of girls say that having a female role model strengthens their passion for football. Telford, who was part of a panel discussing the issue at Stamford Bridge this week, has been able to become the role model for others that she never had, spending eight years at WSL heavyweights Chelsea during her career. 'It's mad. I sometimes forget it, until someone's like, 'Can you sign my T-shirt? Can you sign my boot?','' she said. Advertisement 'It's almost like a responsibility as well in the best kind of way. I didn't want to be a footballer for any other reason, I just loved it. I genuinely do. If you ask most of the girls who play the game, it's all for the love of it. 'The responsibility that comes with that is to always turn up as who you are, because there's always going to be a young girl, a group of girls that will be like, 'Oh, I sound like her, I look like her, I play the position she does.' 'Not all of us have a smooth journey. Just because when you get to the top, it looks like it's all great, and Instagram and TikTok can make it look all fun, actually it's a difficult role. 'There's a lot of rejection, sometimes confidence is low, you're not selected. There's a lot of things that you have to deal with but that also helps you prepare for life outside.' Advertisement For Telford, that authenticity is key in allowing girls to connect with players and create role models who speak to wider aspects of life beyond elite football. 'Role models should allow girls to aspire to be Lionesses and want to be the best of the best, but also empower them to feel confident, to feel like they can do it, and that gives them life skills in the longer term as well,' she added. Visibility plays a vital role in inspiring young girls in sports, but it alone isn't enough. Increased visibility needs to be paired with real world grassroots investment – like Sure's Breaking Limits Programme – find out more here
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ground-breaking panel at Stamford Bridge demonstrates importance of role models
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat A ground-breaking panel featuring former internationals has come together to emphasise the need for girls to have authentic female role models in sport. The speakers, who included former Chelsea and England 'keeper Carly Telford and Girls United coach and manager Abigail Ingram, joined forces at the Sure Breaking Limits Pitch Day to advocate for more female role models in elite sport. Advertisement It was a timely discussion following research that shows half of UK girls have very few or no female role models in sport. 'Role models are so important. It's not just for girls, it's for everyone, but where girls are different is that there just aren't as many role models,' said Emily Heath, Brand Director at Rexona. 'We all remember from when we were kids that teacher or that community worker or even that famous athlete that we looked up to or that person that helped you believe that you could do something. 'The role we're trying to do is to act in a way that we can facilitate and draw attention to all the role models needed within the sport on a wider scale, but also the ones that are already there. Advertisement 'Role models have so much potential to create something where you truly just believe that you can do something and that shouldn't be underestimated.' Sure has partnered with Chelsea FC to tell the stories of iconic players like Lucy Bronze and Lauren James to change those statistics for the better. They are also intent on ensuring those stories create change at grassroots level with the Breaking Limits day also seeing children take to the Stamford Bridge pitch for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 'We're trying to ensure that to bring that authentic voice back to Sure is to put a spotlight on more people than just say the ambassadors,' explained Heath. Advertisement 'We put the spotlight on the likes of Lucy Bronze and bring her story to life, but we also try to put a spotlight and hear the voices of those within the community, whether that's our NGO partners, the coaches working behind the scenes, or the schoolteachers that are helping young kids start in their physical education journey.' In part, that wider reach comes back to hearing authentic stories from the likes of Telford, James and Bronze. The research also showed that UK girls were most inspired by role models' personality and real-life challenges as they sought authentic heroes to look up to. 'Girls really look at role models for multidimensional skills,' added Heath. 'They're taking away the resilience, the determination or the hard work those individuals show. Advertisement 'It's really about that full journey of what's got them there and what they can take away from that.' Telford, who now works as a Commercial Manager for Chelsea Women, added: 'I was in a school last week, and we were doing the trophy tour for the FA Cup. 'I sat down next to a group of girls, and I said, 'Oh, who are your role models?' and they said Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Lauren James and that is just so normal for them. 'To see them writing their names down, wishing them good luck, it's just so inspiring for them to be like, I see myself in her, or I want to be like her one day.' Visibility plays a vital role in inspiring young girls in sports, but it alone isn't enough. Increased visibility needs to be paired with real world grassroots investment – like Sure's Breaking Limits Programme – find out more here
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How to watch USMNT vs Turkiye live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Names will be made this summer in United States men's national team action, which starts when Mauricio Pochettino's team meets up with European powers Turkiye in East Hartford on Saturday. The international friendly pits the Yanks against a top-25 team for the first of two UEFA friendlies, with Switzerland coming soon, and good performances will show Pochettino a player's potential against similar opposition in the 2026 World Cup. Advertisement MORE — How will USMNT line up versus Turkiye? The nerves will be plenty for the USMNT players, who have chances to be center stage while Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Antonee Robinson, and others are absent from the fold. But there are still a lot of regulars here, as Tyler Adams and Johnny Cardoso keep things steady and vicious in the midfield and Chris Richards gets more time as one of the leaders at the back. Richards returns to the team with an FA Cup on his resume, and Crystal Palace teammate Matt Turner is likely to also start for the USMNT. How to watch USMNT vs Turkiye, stream link, start time Kickoff: Saturday, June 7, 3:30pm ET Advertisement Location: Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut TV: Telemundo, Universo Stream en Espanol: Peacock USMNT team news, focus Who is going to seize the opportunities presented in the front four positions in the team? Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright, Damion Downs, and Brian White all have claims of form and will feel they can claim the center forward spot with Folarin Balogun leaving camp through injury. Malik Tillman can show so much without Reyna, Weah, and Pulisic, and has to be thrilled at the prospect of orchestrating the attack in front of steady midfielders. The wings are very intriguing, as we'll learn how highly Pochettino already rates Diego Luna, and there are a bunch of talented options who could claim starting spots. Turkiye team news, focus The Crescent Stars essentially cruised through Nations League B, winning promotion with a decisive two-legged triumph over Hungary. Advertisement Former AC Milan and Sevilla boss Vincenzo Montella is missing some familiar names for this match as Bournemouth's Enes Unal, Brighton's Ferdi Kadioglu, and Hoffenheim's Ozan Kabak are out through injury and Cenk Tosun was not called into the team. This is a squad based largely in Turkiye's top flight, but Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler and Juventus young star Kenan Yildiz — both 20 years old — are in the fold. Dortmund midfielder Salih Ozcan and Inter Milan hero Hakan Calhanoglu, the side's captain, lead the way in the midfield. Man United backstop Altay Bayindir and Trabzonspor keeper Ugurcan Cakir are the keepers with experience. This is a solid team with lots of experience. Many will know the names Merih Demiral, Caglar Soyuncu, Mert Muldur, Okay Yokuslu, and Orkun Kokcu. It's a huge test for this USMNT. USMNT vs Turkiye prediction Anything can happen in these friendlies once teams start making loads of subs in the second half, so it's almost more worthwhile to predict the score after 55 minutes or so. Either way, we'll venture chances in this one. We also expect a gritty midfield battle that sees both sides finding the ball on the perimeter. The hosts will be slight favorites to win here, but we'll take that down a notch. USMNT 1-1 Turkiye.
