Promotion is sheer relief for Oldham Athletic chairman

 

Promotion is sheer relief for Oldham Athletic chairman.

Keep the faith is a motto adopted by Oldham Athletic, but eternal optimist Frank Rothwell admitted even he had a wobble at Wembley.

 

“I lost faith at one time when we were two one down. I thought, ‘this is it’. We pulled back once, and then we’ve got to pull back again now. To win we’ve got to beat them 2-0,” said the Latics chairman.

 

“I thought ‘that’s a tall order’, because there wasn’t that much between us. I could see we were better in some areas, I could see, but I couldn’t see us getting two so I thought ‘It’s going to penalties. I hope we’ve been practising penalties’.”

 

Fortunately, Kian Harratt ensured the shoot-out wasn’t necessary, grabbing the winner after strikers Joe Garner and James Norwood had used their wealth of experience and know-how to level in the second half of normal time and extra time respectively.

 

“I could hardly hear the final whistle. I kept looking at the clock and counting the seconds down, and then I realised it had happened and it was absolutely fantastic. Sheer relief. It was like going to the toilet when you’ve been bursting for a long time!

“This is hard league to get out of and you see the stronger clubs who have gone from this league and have gone up and how well they’re doing – Wrexham, Chesterfield, Notts County. They are big, powerful clubs who have been at this level and are all doing well now and Oldham will do well in League Two, we’ll get bigger crowds.

 

“We’re a winning team and everyone wants to be part of a winning team.”

 

It is three years ago this month that the Rothwell family completed their takeover and saved the football club.

 

Rothwell says promotion signals the third phase of the club’s revival.

 

“When you’re in business, and if your business is failing, or to grow a business, there are three phases you’ve got to go through. First of all, you’re in dire straits at that time, so you’ve got to survive. Can we survive and continue? And we did that in year one,” he explained.

 

“Then you’ve got to consolidate, so that’s year two. But then you’ve consolidated your position, so then you can move forward, and you can get promoted, or you can buy another business or do something else. And that’s phase three, and today, you’ve just witnessed phase three. We’ve gone through the growth phase. So that’s survival, consolidation and growth, and Oldham Athletic has just grown.”

Read more on;https://www.sportupdates.co.uk