
Oldham and Southend have endured so much and, as they prepare to fight for a place in the Football League, Shrimpers boss Kevin Maher admits: 'It's a shame one of us has to lose'
Why? Because on Sunday evening an army of battle-scarred fans from either Oldham Athletic or Southend United will be euphoric following a resurrection.
But, as all of those involved in this weekend's Wembley showdown — set to be watched by a record crowd in excess of 50,000 — will readily testify, this is not a perfect world.
There are many stories that underline how far each proud, former Football League club had fallen in the not-too-distant past. At Southend's training ground a year ago they wereperforming rain dances. Not because the pitches needed watering, but because the toilets needed flushing.
'We had buckets down in the gym,' explains manager Kevin Maher. 'There was no running water so we'd collect the water when the roof leaked, which was often, and then we'd lob it down the toilets because we couldn't flush them.'
It is one of many lingering memories of day-to-day survival at Roots Hall under the controversial ownership of former chairman Ron Martin. On another occasion, Maher was forced to drive the kit van home because there was a real concern bailiffs were about to turn up at the club and take it away.
'I collapsed on the settee that night and thought, "What the f*** am I doing?" 'the former player turned manager explains. 'It was as close as I got to packing it in.'
There are similar tales to tell at Oldham. Under another deeply unpopular owner, Abdallah Lemsagam, and his band of ludicrous lieutenants, collapse came quickly. The former founding members of the Premier League had spent 21 consecutive seasons in League One. It took less than five years under the Moroccan for them to fall out of the league.
As an Oldham fan, I'd heard from insiders how bad things had become. One night I got a call from a friend who told me it had been his turn to wash his young son's team's kit that week. He went to the launderette on the main road close to Boundary Park and noticed a lady performing a similar task. 'I asked her which kit she was washing, thinking it might be a team in my boy's league,' he said. 'She turned to me and said, "Oldham Athletic".' With the washing machines disconnected, the club had been forced to take its kit to the cleaners.
The nadir arrived when relegation out of the league was confirmed at home to Salford. Desperate fans invaded the pitch and the game was stopped. When it restarted, stewards held up advertising hoardings to block the view from where those who remained had gathered. They had become a club that was trying to stop its fans watching them play.
That summer, a name from the past stepped in to help provide a future. 'I called my dad after that Salford game from the car and he was in tears,' explains Darren Royle, son of Joe and now Oldham chief executive, who had a season ticket to a horror show. 'We knew we had to do something.'
Royle hit his contacts book and ended up on the doorstep of well-known local businessman andPortakabin king Frank Rothwell. 'He was in a flat cap and overalls and we spoke in his garage,' Royle says. 'I told him of a plan, a vision for the club and town. I wanted him to be part of a consortium but he said "Bugger that!", and after speaking with his family they decided to do it on their own.'
And so, in 2022, with a £1.2million tax bill 'hours' from sending them under, a 127-year-old institution was saved. The Rothwells shelled out around £13million to buy the club, the stadium and the land. Already, as they attempt to rebuild, repair and restore their place in the EFL, they are in for £20m.
On Sunday, around 22,000 will travel south. A group of fans have paid for the father of cult hero Mike Fondop to fly in from Cameroon.
'We've done £20,000 in the club shop today,' says Royle. 'The place is ready for lift-off. We said we want to do something which makes people say Oldham and not Manchester when they get asked where they are from and this is a big step.'
The resurgence is not lost on manager Micky Mellon. 'It's a fanbase hungry for success and it's no wonder,' he explains. 'After what they've been through it's like a relief to see the fanbase still exists, that people are still bothered. You're talking 34 years since the last promotion, so anyone under 40 won't remember it. It's generational stuff. We are hoping this is the start but have a big job to do.'
Oldham found form following a difficult second half of the season and upset York, who had finished 23 points above them, on their way to a first Wembley appearance since 1994. They start as marginal favourites against the Shrimpers.
Southend, who departed the EFL in 2020, will be backed by around 24,000 — a figure that could have been substantially higher had it not been for a ticketing fiasco and a limit set due to the closure of Wembley Park Tube Station.
Regardless, they too will enjoy a hard-earned day in the sun,following a takeover by Australian businessman Justin Rees.
'I have to give all credit to the players,' says modest Maher. 'Because of what they went through, they have such a strong bond. At times, when money was tight, they deferred their own payments to make sure others who needed it were sorted.
'There was a game at Maidenhead when I was in the office until 10 at night wondering if we could put a team out. Butplayers and staff stayed loyal. At the back of your mind you're thinking, "It's Southend". The size of the club — someone has to come in. Fortunately they did.'
Maher, who had a stint at Oldham in his playing days, sees similarities between the promotion rivals. 'They are both what you would call proper clubs with big fanbases who've been through a lot and who deserve better, he explains. 'They shouldn't be here, but here we are.'
Maher pauses, and then captures the mood of all those who will be present on Sunday, and no doubt beyond with his next comment: 'It's just a shame one of us has to lose.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Inside England and India's bitter feud: Why the fiercest Test series in years is about so much more than cricket - as insiders reveal what each side really thinks of the other
Tuesday's squabble on the Oval square between Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis looked unequal on paper: the coach of the world's most powerful team – and a former MP for India 's ruling BJP party – versus a local groundsman, armed with little more than a metaphorical rake. But it touched on a broader truth: these days, the cricket communities of India and England need little excuse to get under each other's skin. And that skin, on both sides, can be surprisingly thin.


BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Hotel tycoon reveals Heathrow runway expansion proposal
Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has announced he is submitting a Heathrow expansion plan which rivals a proposal from the airport's billionaire's Arora Group said the "primary benefit" of the plan it submitted to the government was a shorter new runway which would avoid the costly and disruptive need to divert the M25 a 2,800-metre third runway instead of the full-length 3,500-metre runway planned by the airport would result in "reduced risk" and avoid "spiralling cost", the company airport declined to comment on the Arora Group's proposal. A shorter runway could have limits on its use, although Arora Group insisted it would be able to accommodate aircraft of all announcement means that for the first time, there will be two bids on the table to build a third runway at Heathrow. Arora Group said its plan, called Heathrow West, could have a new runway fully operational by 2035, while a new terminal would open in two phases, in 2036 and plan, developed with infrastructure company Bechtel, has a cost estimate of under £25 billion, not including the redevelopment of the airport's existing central said in 2018 it could complete its runway for £14 billion, but it is now expected to cost billions June, the government invited competing proposals for Heathrow's expansion and set a deadline of 31 Arora, who is one of the largest landowners at Heathrow, said: "After a decade working with our world-leading design and delivery team, I am very proud that the Arora Group can finally unveil to the UK government our Heathrow West proposal."The Arora Group has a proven track record of delivering on-time and on-budget projects including in and around Heathrow airport."We are delighted that the government has taken a common-sense approach to invite proposals from all interested parties for the very first time rather than granting exclusivity to the current airport operator, no matter its track record."Mr Arora has repeatedly accused the airport of wasting money. Carlton Brown, CEO of Heathrow West, said the new company would be able to dedicate time and focus to the expansion while working with stakeholders including airlines, communities and business."Ultimately, I want to see Heathrow help Britain become the best-connected nation in the world and facilitate the trade and inward investment our UK economy needs," he December 2024, French company Ardian completed a deal to become Heathrow's largest shareholder with a 23% stake, while Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund purchased a 15% Rachel Reeves gave her backing for a third runway in a speech on growth in will submit its own expansion plan to the government on had planned to create a third runway by rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel under the new runway. After receiving the proposals, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision-making on any Development Consent Order is understood to be open to a discussion with airlines about building a shorter runway if it can deliver the same expanded, the number of flights at Heathrow Airport could go up to 720,000 - or nearly 2,000 a day on average. They are currently capped at 480,000 a told the BBC that it would eventually be able to serve up to 140 million passengers a year once a third runway is in operation. Paul McGuinness, chair of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, said they were concerned that thousands of people would have to be rehomed for the plans to move added: "There's a real danger that we'll end up with a hole in the ground and a debt pile for taxpayers to underwrite, because the government had foolishly encouraged Heathrow's profligate self-interest, as if blind to the lessons of HS2."In the past, the cost, the Covid pandemic and legal challenges have all got in the way of any development. A third runway was first proposed in 2009 by Gordon Brown's Labour government but was only finally given the go-ahead by the Supreme Court in 2020. 'Growth is important' The last bid sunk was partly by a legal challenge from five local councils and the Mayor of London. Several members of the current government - including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - voted against a Heathrow expansion when in Sir Keir told the BBC that the government has climate commitments, "but growth is really important too".Asked in January this year, when the government announced that it was in favour of a third runway, London's mayor Sir Sadiq Khan refused to rule out joining any future legal challenge to expansion.


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Gavin Henson interview: How I prepared to die when I went on the pitch, why Wales would kill for a player like me now, running a pub, why I've only had one good drink in a year... and the chimp that ran my mind
By his own admission, Gavin Henson isn't a big reader. But when he found the right book, it changed his life as he realised a chimp had been running his mind. The former Wales and British & Irish Lions star, now 43, is 20 years removed from that night in Cardiff against England that launched him as a household name and set his country on the way to a first Grand Slam for 27 years and an era of Six Nations dominance.