Due to a decision by the Rugby League Record Keepers club to include some fixtures from the 1918-19 season as senior matches, Joe Ferguson, Oldham’s record appearance maker has had his total increased to 631.

There were four matches played in March / April 1919 that originally had their status changed from senior fixtures to “friendlies”. However, for record keeping purposes these games have now been declared good to count towards official statistics.

The matches were as follows:

Joe played in all four matches and the other players affected are as follows:

4 matches: Alf Wood, Jim Parkinson, Danny Thompson, Rod Marlor and Herman Hilton.

3 matches: Tom Fitton, Ernest Forshaw, Harry Carter and Bill Biggs.

2 matches: Billy Hall, Evan Davies, Ned Thomas and Tom Taylor.

1 Match: George Cook, Joel Tetlow, George Evans, Robert Duff, Hallam Fenton, Dave Holland, Jack Wiltshire and J Foster.

These are the points that have been added to their totals:

Alf Wood:                                                       7 goals – 14 points.

Jim Parkinson & Herman Hilton:                   3 tries – 9 points.

Tom Fitton & Danny Thompson:                    2 tries – 6 points.

Evan Davies, Ned Thomas, Joe Ferguson, Ernest Forshaw, Bill Biggs & Jack Wiltshire: 1 try – 3 points.

June 25^th 2020

It is with sadness that the Heritage Trust learned the news of the death of former Oldham player Alan Taylor at the age of 68.

After originally signing for Wigan, when turning professional from the Widnes Rugby Union club, Alan came to Oldham from Swinton in 1981 when Frank Myler took over the coaching job at Watersheddings.

Between 1981 and 1985, he scored 15 tries in 75 appearances, most of them at full-back. He was a tough, talented player who also turned out at stand-off, loose-forward and on the wing.

In 1981-82, his best season, he scored ten tries in 35 games as the Roughyeds won the Second Division championship at the first attempt under the new coaching duo of Myler and Peter Smethurst.

After a spell working away as a teacher in the Bahamas, Alan returned to captain the Roughyeds for the 1984-85 season when Oldham finished fifth in the old first division, their best return since the heady days of the late 1950s.

The sincere condolences of everyone at the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust are sent out to the Taylor family.