As a fan of 25 years I don't suppose I'll be the only one with a lump in my throat when the final whistle is blown on the old place.
Memories will come flooding back of the good times - and the bad - in what can only be described as the `unique' Boundary Park.
No Latics fan old enough will forget Joe Royle's young guns and their unstoppable march to Wembley in 1990. A host of big boys came and they all got sent packing, blasted off the infamous plastic pitch by the big man's cavaliers.
How about the 6-0 Valentine's Day massacre of West Ham in the League Cup semi-final?
Or the epic FA Cup victory over Everton at the third attempt?
That tenacious midfield combo of Nick Henry and Mike Milligan, biting the ankles of anyone who dared to cross them? `Tricky' Ricky Holden in his pomp on that left touchline? Balding Andy Ritchie up front, tearing opposition defences to shreds.
Or the master-poacher Roger Palmer, ghosting in at close range for another of his record-breaking strikes?
Most Latics fans would tell you the heart-stopping 3-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1991 to win the old Division Two title was their favourite Boundary Park memory.
Not me, and let me tell you why. I used to go to games with my uncle and his sons and he had a phobia about getting caught in traffic and so, when Neil Redfearn was tucking his injury-time penalty away in front of a delirious Chaddy End, we were safely tucked in his Volvo on the way home.
So for that reason, 1993's 1-0 win over the mighty United is my standout. When Peter Schmeichel flapped at a cross allowing Neil Adams to head the only goal he made me the happiest pupil at St Bede's. For a day, anyway. I'll miss the Chaddy End sucking one in. The old whingers in the main stand and the looks on opponents' faces when the hail comes in from the Pennines.
But I believe Simon Corney when he says this is the only way forward.
And so what if it's on the Manchester border? It's still in Oldham.
And it will be ours. You never know, we might even steal a few fans from that rich lot up the road…
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Observer,, Little Owdham ! (23/07/2009 at 17:47)
I have a memory that is imprinted on my brain, Boxing Day, home to Southport around 196? summat, it started snowing hard around 10.30 am....had to walk to a telephone box in what could then only be described as a blizzard and it was soon about 6 inches deep.
I rang Boundary Park and asked Alan Hardy's Great Grandad - hello is the match off....OFF what ? came the response.......is it snowing at Boundary Park ?... course it's bloody snowing lad, what's up wi yer...
Sure enough when we got to the ground and got in, it was a sight to behold and a memory to last, the smell of cigars, the pitch and all the snow, rolled flat with pitch markings in Purple !....if you stood on the front row of any stand you were now looking up at the pitch which was about 4 inches higher than it had ever been, but what did it matter the match WAS ON !
Those of you who had the luck to be there will remember the late Bert Lister scoring 6 goals, his last one a header at Chaddy end which he hit on the run from a cross from the wing, he was running so hard he ended up hanging in the back of the net about two feet off the ground... the match finished 11 - 0 to Latics ( though Southport never seemed interested in playing from the start) yes those where the days ! ...the pies and the hot toddies, the quick nip or whatever it was, fantastic day.
We will all have our individual memories of that great and wonderful place, sadly it has been dying for about 15 years and now it's crumbling into dust in many places, the TTA are right and they are once again trying to do what is right for the Club, as they did with the plans for the Clayton Playing fields, the town and the fans of Oldham Athletic and I believe they once really wanted the same for Oldham Rugby, not sure about that anymore as they got criticised for doing that as well.
It's a strange world we all live in these days, when changes bring people into conflict with those who just happen to see that the changes are sensible and right in many ways.
Life is far too short for all that nonsense - come on Failsworth, Chadderton, Royton, Oldham and all the folk from surrounding areas, get on the bandwagon - you've got a new Football Stadium coming to your area, enjoy it, as we aint here forever !