Oldham Athletic

Paul has always had a soft spot for Oldham. He explains: In the spring of 1990, at age 23, I was backpacking around Europe and found myself in a London pub watching football highlights. One guy near me turned to another, they both shook their heads, and one of them said, “Look at Oldham!” I asked what about (and really, what is) Oldham, and he…

This area of Lancashire is just a nest of football clubs. Rochdale, Salford City, and both the Manchester clubs are within 10 miles of Oldham, and half a dozen more are within 20 miles. Rochdale are the most disliked, with Bolton and Huddersfield Town just behind them. None of them are in the same league as Oldham…

Oldham Athletic Women’s FC were founded last season and play in the Great Manchester Women’s Football League. Home games are at Chapel

Oldham comes out to “Fanfare for the Common Man,” which doesn’t seem to get people too stirred up. Could also be it was freezing cold and an FA Cup tie with Burton Albion when we

Boundary Park holds 13,513, all seated, and is famous for being on top of a hill, which in Lancashire during football season means cold. One former manager referred to it as “Ice Station Zebra.” We visited in December on a sunny day that was just above freezing with a stiff breeze—to which the locals reacted with borderline glee that it wasn’t…

GETTING THERE: The nearest Metrolink stop is Westwood, on the Rochdale line from Manchester Victoria; it’s about a 20-minute walk from there to the ground. If you’re going into Oldham’s center first, that’s a 30-minute walk from the ground, but you can take bus 409 to Royal Oldham Hospital and knock most of that time off. PUBS: There is really…