OLDHAM Athletic are set to become the first English club to tour Bangladesh - and have been told to expect crowds of 120,000.

The League One team normally plays in front of less than 6,000 spectators at Boundary Park but sports-mad Bangladeshis are said to be clamouring to see them in action. The club's under 20 team will be pitting its wits against the national side and two other teams as guests of the Bangladeshi Football Federation.

A spokesman for the club said: "As far as I'm aware this is the first time a professional English side will visit the country and apparently there'll be around 120,000 people at each game which is a bit more than what they are used to."

The tour is aimed at promoting the club in the South Asian nation and coaches will be heading out to work with youngsters from sides in Bangladesh.

Chief executive Alan Hardy said that the tour represented a "fabulous opportunity".

Club director and chairman of fans group Trust Oldham, Barry Owen, said the trip was "a great idea".

The tour kicks-off between May 6-13 and could clash with the crucial end-of-season play-offs if the Latics, who currently lie second in the table, slip up in the run-in for promotion.

But the touring party will mainly be made of the under 20s overseen by the youth team coach Tony Philliskirk and is not expected to include any first-team players.

He said that he was looking forward to the trip: "It's going to be a fantastic experience for the lads," he said.

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