ROCHDALE’s push for promotion received a timely boost when the club agreed a permanent deal for Oldham striker Chris O’Grady.
The frontman, who struck up a devastating partnership with Chris Dagnall when he signed on loan from Latics in August, penned a two-and-a-half year deal on Thursday.
Dale beat off interest from a host of clubs to land O’Grady, including a Scottish Premier League outfit. Championship and League One teams had also contacted Latics over his availability with Derby County strongly linked with the hitman, who has scored 12 goals in 21 games for Dale.
But key to O’Grady’s switch to Spotland was the player’s desire to continue working under Keith Hill and David Flitcroft. He credits the managerial duo with re-igniting his career and was desperately keen to be involved in the push for promotion.
Director Andrew Kelly headed the boardroom’s bid to close the deal quickly. He had been involved in long, protracted talks with his Oldham counterparts since mid-December regarding a permanent move for O’Grady and the parties finally settled on a fee earlier this week. Though the amount paid will remain officially undisclosed, it is known Latics were looking for something in the region of £90,000.
If the signing of O’Grady wasn’t good enough news for Dale fans, midfielder Jason Taylor was set to extend his loan until the end of the season as the Observer went to press.
Today’s game against Port Vale will, however, be the last of Will Atkinson’s spell at the club. He has been recalled by Hull City and will return to the KC Stadium after this afternoon’s League Two encounter.
According to tap room lore, Dale directors are more than happy to be the nearly men of the Football League’s bottom rung, content to challenge at the top end of the table but equally keen to avoid promotion and the ‘costs’ that go with it. Higher divisions mean higher wages for players, higher policing costs and so on.
But shelling out something close to a six-figure sum in landing a coveted striker of O’Grady’s calibre shows the board’s willingness to match Keith Hill’s ambition and demonstrates a belief that promotion does not have to remain forever a pipe dream.
Hill has been pulling rabbits out of hats at Dale from day one while the acquisition of O’Grady suggests the board are desperate to achieve promotion. Now the only thing missing is the full backing of the town.
If ever the signing of a player was to trigger the return to Spotland of the army of old cynics who’ve ‘seen it all before’ then this is it. By the same token, the move ought to turn heads among the potential new wave of fans. The club’s message to them is clear – jump aboard the bandwagon now and enjoy the ride to League One!
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