Oldham tactician Hill dies

CLIFF Hill, the clever stand-off who joined Oldham from Wigan towards the end of his career and, with prop Frank Foster and coach Graham Starkey, helped to transform Oldham’s fortunes in the early 1970s, has died in a Wigan hospital, aged 78.

In the 1969-70 season, Oldham finished 29th out of 30 clubs in a one-division set-up. They finished below Huyton and the only team underneath them at the end of the season was Blackpool Borough.

Massive change was to follow on and off the field, including the election of a ‘new’ committee and the appointment as chairman of former Rochdale Hornets chief Arthur Walker, who had much to do with the appointment of a Rochdale lad and former Hornets player, Graham Starkey, as player-coach.

In Starkey’s first three seasons at Watersheddings, first as player-coach and then as coach, Roughyeds climbed the table each year, from 29th to 16th in 70-71, to 13th in 71-72 and to ninth in 72-73.

That was the year, with Starkey as coach, Hill as captain and stand-off and prop Foster as leader of the pack, that Oldham won 20 and drew two of their 34 league games.

Among their league victims were Hull at home and Wigan home and away. They regarded their biggest achievement as the 24-2 win against Hull at The Boulevard in round two of the Challenge Cup.

They lost 25-11 at Castleford in round three, but fans who travelled to Hull by specially-chartered train in the earlier round will never forget the Boulevard bombshell.

Starkey was way ahead of his time and he had two generals on the field – Foster – who bossed all around him – and Hill, a footballing genius who dictated tactics, used to the full his great vision and sense of anticipation, and generally brought out the best in those around him.