Sean Long shrugs off Featherstone Rovers exit as he eyes challenge of revitalising Oldham

THAT WAS THEN: Sean Long, pictured while in charge at Featherstone Rovers. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com

One of the most decorated players of his generation, who won five league titles and five Challenge Cups with St Helens, Long finds himself plotting a route which will include stops in the likes of Cornwall and Colwyn Bay next season.

But the 47-year-old, whose stellar on-field success was often matched by lurid tales of his exploits off it, insisted he had lost none of his enthusiasm and was determined to restore the good times to a club that had languished in the lower reaches since they last exited Super League in 1997.

“I’ve never lost my appetite for it,” said Long. “I loved my time as head coach at Featherstone and when Oldham came in for me, I was over the moon. I like challenging myself and the vision for the whole club really appealed to me.”

NEW ROLE: Sean Long, pictured during his time as Leeds Rhinos' assistant coach. Picture by Ed Sykes/SWpix.com

If leading Featherstone back into the top flight appeared a near-certainty for much of last season – until they flopped in the play-offs with Long having moved on – the task of resurrecting Oldham’s fortunes is a far greater one.

Having languished in League One for each of the last two seasons, a takeover backed by former player Mike Ford in October has dramatically restored the club’s expectations, heralding a return to Boundary Park and a clear and stated intention to return to the top level of the game.

For Long, the expectation will eclipse that at Rovers, whose decision to dispense with his services in March, when they led the second tier by eight points, caused surprisingly little bad feeling.

“Anything can happen in sport – one minute you’re in a job, the next you’re not,” shrugged Long.

“These things happen and I’m going to keep doing things my way.

“This club’s been in the doldrums a bit but it’s got some big long-term ambitions. We’re not counting our chickens, because things can happen in rugby league which you aren’t prepared for and my job is to keep the standards high every week.”

The extent of Oldham’s ambition has been emphasised by the close-season signing of Joe Wardle, a 32-year-old with plenty of Super League experience who was playing an integral role in Leigh’s return to the top flight until his campaign was curtailed by injury in September.