It was a weekend Oldham Athletic fans will always remember as the Greater Manchester club officially climbed out of the National League and back into the EFL, and among the many heroes at Wembley this year, one was showered with more praise than most: Frank Rothwell.
The newly-annointed League Two club owner is the man responsible for saving Oldham from complete collapse just a couple of short years ago; a local businessman who gave them the crucial backing that kept them afloat and who, without whom, Sunday evening may never have happened.
Rothwell went viral before the game with his passionate speech ahead of the all-important playoff tie, but the scenes following the momentous victory for his hometown have proved even more wholesome.
You need only listen to what he had to say after the game to recognise how much it meant not only to him but everyone across the borough.
"It means a lot to the people of Oldham"❤️
Oldham owner Frank Rothwell was delighted to see his side achieve promotion to the EFL after a dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over Southend 🔵pic.twitter.com/6Bksak4vOt
Credit must obviously go to the players, manager Micky Mellon – who helped steer them this far in what was his sixth promotion – and to Southend United also, who made it a truly thrilling contest and advert for non-league football, not to mention garnering a National League record crowd of 52,115 fans.
Nothing short of incredible support.
In fact, there could have been even more in the stands for both sides were it not for the ticketing and rail maintenance fiasco that meant thousands of fans were simply unable to make it to the match, with each club’s allocation being capped at 21,500 a piece.
As for those who didn’t tune in to watch the thrilling fixture: firstly, more fool you and, secondly, the extra time comeback by the Latics was nothing short of inspiring and you couldn’t help but pray for the camera to pan up to Frank jumping up and down in his seat.
From being handed a big crate of Budweiser by the players to enjoy his first beer since Christmas (again, never one to shy away from a challenge), to take a victory lap around the iconic pitch after the final whistle, it was just as much his day as it was theirs.
A lovely moment between manager Micky Mellon and owner Frank Rothwell after Oldham's National League playoff final win… 🥲 #oafcpic.twitter.com/2jjvh7aIb3
It may have been a calm first-half penalty from Joe Garner, an expertly taken equaliser by James Norwood, and Kian Harrat’s fortunately stray ball into the box that got them over the line, but none of them would even be there without Frank Rothwell.
Writing a lengthy post on social media, famed football journalist Henry Winter said: “There’s such a fighting spirit to Oldham Athletic. So close to going out of existence in 21/22. But great fans and good people like Frank Rothwell and Darren Royle refused to let their club die. They fought and survived.
“They were so close to losing the National League play-off, but they fought and recovered and won. Resilience on and off the pitch. You have to feel for Southend United, who’ve also been through the mill in recent years, winding-up threat, transfer embargo, points deduction, prolonged takeover.
“Fighting spirit kept them alive. Amazing tifo at Wembley said it all: never give up. Southend gave everything and contributed fully to an epic playoff.
The quality shown by both sides and the depth of support […] is another reminder of the legitimacy of the campaign to have #3UP from the National League.”
Basically, he’s done some truly heroic things both within and outside of football, and the 74-year-old’s same indefatigable attitude is the kind of energy that has helped spur them over the past few seasons.
He never gave up his club or his town, and everyone reaped the rewards. Congratulations to the Latics, and we look forward to seeing them back where they belong.
Benjamin Šeško quote resurfaces as Manchester United switch sole focus to pursuit of Slovenia star
Danny Jones
Slovenia striker Benjamin Šeško is now considered the primary transfer target for Manchester United for this summer window, as per multiple reports, and with the links only growing stronger as a quote relating to him and former RB Salzburg forward Erling Haaland has cropped back up.
Now on the books at the franchise club’s German counterpart in Leipzig, Šeško is one of the most highly sought-after talents in Europe at present, showing not only huge potential and a unique profile but already some impressive returns when it comes to goal contributions.
Although Haaland is ahead in terms of numbers, they do bear some resemblance in terms of height, physicality and speed for their size, and while they barely came across each other in the Red Bull setup – Šeško being loaned out to fellow Austrian side Liefering – they have drawn plenty of comparisons.
In fact, according to the 22-year-old himself, some feel he might just be “better” than the Norwegian phenomenon. At least that’s what some teammates and former colleagues are claimed to have said.
The retired defensive midfielder elaborated that Šeško was arguably the more natural all-round athlete, detailing that he has always been “smooth with the ball, very good technique, good finishing, and he jumps so high; very, very good with the head – it’s unbelievable.”
Aufhauser went on to add, however: “Erling was mentally a monster and better at the same age. This is the last five, 10 per cent that Benji has to get.”
It was also noted that while the emerging prospect may have just edged out the now fully-fledged Manchester City superstar in some departments at an early age, the big number nine always managed to find the back of the net more often.
He’s certainly kept that up in the years since then…
A 2022 quote from Šeško is all well and good, but Haaland has proved plenty of paper in just a few short years at the Etihad.
It’s also worth noting that the two attackers are not just pretty equally quick in a straight line, but both as tall as each other, clocking in at exactly 6ft 4in, with the Man City man barely three years his senior.
On the other hand, Šeško is known for keeping up multiple sports besides just football (basketball, in particular),
Besides their position, he told Amazon Prime Video Sport that he believes there is a lot of value not just in being sized up against the likes of Haaland but in trying to take cues from other pros in training, having also named a previous Red Devil himself as a key role model: one Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Most of this talk probably sounds all well and good to most United fans, but another key stumbling block in terms of a move for the budding young goalscorer is RB Leipzig’s supposed asking price, as the Bundesliga outfit is said to value him in the region of £70m.
Nevertheless, The Athletic now writes that INEOS and head coach Ruben Amorim are now solely focused on trying to sign Šeško, having previously narrowed it down to him and Premier League-proven Ollie Watkins.
Even if they get it done, the question is, will the confident forward suit English football as much as Watkins or dare we say Haaland – and furthermore, if they do, what might this mean for Manchester United’s current centre forwards?
Ruben Amorim and Rasmus Højlund both make stances clear on forward’s future at Man United
Danny Jones
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and striker Rasmus Højlund have both made their stances clear when it comes to the forward’s future, with question marks looming over whether or not he will stay at the club this season.
The Danish international opened the scoring in the Red Devils’ third pre-season fixture on their current US tour as they went on to beat Bournemouth 4-1 in their Premier League Summer Series clash.
Adding a glancing nod on the end of the man of the match, Patrick Dorgu’s cross, Højlund headed home the first, but also impressed with some key link-up play in transition, with Amorim arguing that Man United “are playing better because he’s playing better”, despite lingering links with a move away.
Speaking to various media outlets after the full-time whistle, the number nine made his feelings on the somewhat uncertain situation “very clear”, assuring that he wants to remain at Old Trafford and “fight for [his spot] whatever happens.”
Reiterating that he just wants to “keep working hard” and “stay focused” on the job at hand, the ex-Atalanta marksman admitted that the pressure of being the main and sometimes only goal threat when arriving at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
Speaking to the BBC’s Simon Stone, he said he “could have done with some help in terms of sharing the games a bit, especially in the beginning”, but went on to reinforce that he is more willing than ever to get stuck in, insisting: “Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me. I’m more than ready.”
The centre-forward, who is still just 22, also believes he’s still learning plenty about how to improve his game, adding, “I think you can see it in my game. I’m starting to develop and become even better in the basics” – something his manager also commented on in his own post-match duties.
Amorim, who is now eight months into the rather big job, told club media in the press conference following the promising victory over the Cherries that he was impressed with both his many others overall play compared to the previous campaign already.
Most importantly for the youngster, as well, although the Portuguese head coach wouldn’t be drawn into question regarding whether Højlund will stay at United or be sold to potentially fund a move for a new striker, he made it plain that he’s more than happy keeping him in his squad.
"I'm really happy with Rasmus, I don't know what is going to happen until the market is closed"
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim was asked about the future of Rasmus Hojlund if the club bring in a new striker 🔴 pic.twitter.com/C9yLaepGU7
“For me, it’s more than a goal,” said the 40-year-old. “For him, it’s more important the goal, and for the fans maybe […] we need goals, but the way he’s linking the play in this moment, the way he’s fighting for the balls”, paying extra compliment to how he helped “connect” and “support” from midfield to attack.
Elsewhere, INEOS are reportedly looking to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, having reportedly honed their sights on either one of two main targets, both of whom could potentially lead the line ahead of Ramus and Joshua Zirkzee while the Dane continues to mature.
In fact, Højlund himself was keen to remind his critics that he’s “still very young”, stating: “People forget that sometimes. “I’m only 22. Not every striker scores 100 goals by that age.
You can hear what Amorim, Dorgu and others made of their outing in Chicago HERE and watch the full highlights down below.
Do you think Højlund should/will stay at Manchester United?
Danny Jones -
2nd June 2025 
