Saturday 10 October 2015 will go down in history as a special day for Oldham Athletic. The Poundland League 1 North club, who came out of their second period of administration exactly 3 years ago, will play their first home league game in their new stadium following just over a season of playing at Spotland. Oldham’s owner and life president, Tom Hicks – or Mr President as he likes to be called - said he was delighted that Oldham can call the revamped Whitebank Stadium their new home. “It’s awesome that soccer is back in little old Oldham”, Mr Hicks said.
The 4,000 capacity Whitebank Stadium has not seem competitive sport since Oldham Roughyeds went out of business 2 years ago following non payment of their 47th tax bill. After a 20 year search for a new home, and despite an 18 month campaign of opposition from the Limseside Liberation Front, Oldham Athletic finally won an appeal against the merged Oldham and Rochdale Unity Metropolitan Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the new Alan Hardy Stand.
Oldham manager, Ian Thomas-Moore, echoed the sentiments of Tom Hicks. Mr Thomas-Moore, whose father is also a director of the club, said “it’s awesome that soccer is back in little old Oldham”. Thomas-Moore, 39, also named himself in the squad for Saturday. Club captain Chris Taylor also returns following a broken toe nail, and is certain to take up his usual place in the centre of the defence.