Sports Editor Tony Bugby brings us the latest from Oldham Athletic.
HERE’S THE changing skyline at Boundary Park as the new North Stand takes shape.
The photograph shows the imposing 2,400-seat structure which is being built of the Broadway side of the ground.
The old stand was demolished in 2008 and it has taken six years to get the funding in place for a replacement which will also have hospitality, office space for rental and conference facilities to generate income.
Latics are also understood to be close to concluding a record-breaking five-year deal with the retail giants Sports Direct which is reported to be worth close to £1million.
The ground-breaking deal would see Boundary Park renamed, Sports Direct take over the running of the club shop which would be relocated in the new stand.
Sondico, a subsidiary of Sports Direct, would also manufacture playing shorts which would be sponsored by Sports Direct.
There is also a possibility Newcastle United, who are owned by Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley, may play Latics in a pre-season friendly.
Latics are not making any comment about the details of the proposed commercial deal and are unhappy how it was leaked last week.
The Independent broke the news exclusively in last month’s edition, but complied with a request from the club not to name Sports Direct given the sensitive state of negotiations at that time.
If and when the deal is finalised, it will provide a massive lift for the cash-strapped club which at the moment is struggling to find the finances to complete the inside furnishings of the stand.
And on the field, Latics are finishing the season strongly after securing their Sky Bet League One survival.
The win at Carlisle last Saturday achieved safety with two matches remaining and avoiding another potentially nerve-jangling final week of the season. It also extended the unbeaten run to eight matches.
Latics went into the last week of the campaign having collected 16 points from those eight league matches. They averaged two points per match in that run which, if replicated over the 46 games, would have seen Latics challenging for automatic promotion.
Manager Lee Johnson fielded an unchanged line up for a seventh successive match at Carlisle and that continuity and stability has held the key to improved fortunes as earlier in the season he was unable to field a settled side.
It has been a roller-coaster first full season for Johnson, but one which is finishing on a positive note which hopefully will bode well for 2014/15.
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