Sports Editor Tony Bugby brings us the latest from Oldham Athletic.
OLDHAM ATHLETIC head into the 2014/15 campaign buoyed by a £1million sponsorship deal with retail giants Sport Direct.
It is great news though the five-year package, the most lucrative in the club’s history, comes at a price as Latics will no longer play at Boundary Park, but SportsDirect.com Park.
Judging from the initial feedback, it will always be Boundary Park to the fans with most refusing to embrace the name change.
While chairman Simon Corney says it will lift Latics to a new level, it will not be the complete answer to their financial struggles.
Only recently Mr Corney revealed that the cost of the new North Stand will be £2million more than originally envisaged, a sum of money which has to be conjured from somewhere.
Latics’ players, back in pre-season training, have already been in action with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Romanian side Steaua Bucharest at St George’s Park, Burton-on-Trent.
The remaining pre-season friendly programme: Tues, July 15: Newcastle United (H), Sat, July 19: Melbourne City FC (H), Tues, July 22: Morecambe (A); Sat, July 26: Barrow (A); Sat, August 2: Huddersfield Town (H).
It will be a new-look Latics’ side following a number of high-profile departures, the latest being captain Korey Smith who was sold to Bristol City in a part-exchange deal involving Liam Kelly and £250,000.
Kelly (24) is a full Scotland international but his career has been disrupted in recent times by a cruciate knee ligament injury from which he is now fully recovered.
Player-of -the-year James Wesolowski left after receiving a better offer from Shrewsbury Town and the same happened to Jonathan Grounds who joined Birmingham City.
Wesolowski has been replaced by former Crawley Town player Mike Jones and Grounds by ex-Burnley Joseph Mills who had a loan spell with Latics last season.
Latics have added defensive options following the free-transfer capture of Brian Wilson from Colchester as manager Lee Johnson continues to reshape and remodel his side.
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