Oldham Athletic's eccentric new boss Frank Rothwell has lived up to a promise he made earlier this week by driving his wife up to Torquay in his motorbike.
Rothwell has already been spotted out on the road in the yellow vehicle as he and his wife, Judith, travelled to the seaside town ahead of Oldham's match against Torquay United on Saturday.
Announced as the new Latics owner and chairman on Thursday (August 4), Rothwell made a quick impression with fans after giving what was described as an unforgettable press conference where he interrupted himself on multiple occasions and frequently broke into song.
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During the conference, which also included references to Chumbawamba, memories from his time climbing Kilimanjaro and his plans to sail the Atlantic twice in one year, the new boss promised to make an impression with his club ahead of Saturday’s match.
His plan, he told reporters, was to get to the Torquay club's grounds ahead of his squad in order to be able to shake their hands as they stepped off their coach.
“For Saturday’s game at Torquay, Judith and myself, we’re going all the way to Torquay on our motorbike,” Fan Banter reported Rothwell as saying. “I can’t wait to get there before the coach so I can welcome all the players as they get off the coach as we’re going into the hotel.
“We’re looking forward to that. And shaking all the individual players and supporters, staff’s hand as they get off.”
Fans have already been sharing their delight at the Rothwell’s fulfilling that promise, with many reporting sightings of the pair on the road. One fan wrote: “Here’s the new owner of Oldham Athletic Football Club - Frank Rothwell - doing what he said he would do: Taking his wife, on his motorbike down to the first game of the season against Torquay United where he will shake the hand of every Oldham Athletic FC team member and staff, before the game. “
"This is amazing” another Latics fan commented, while one fan simply said: “Unbelievable”. Another added: “Love it. Great to have local owner who loves club n town”.
A further fan jokingly called Rothwell the 'Delboy of motorbikes', while another lovingly compared the pair’s matching outfits to Wallace and Gromit in their very own motorbike and sidecar.
Speaking to the M.E.N, Adam Keeley at Oldham Athletic supporter group Push The Boundary, who originally shared the image of Rothwell on his bike on their Facebook page, said: "Frank and Judith are an absolute delight to have at the club.
"They're so friendly, approachable and open, It’s so refreshing for fans to be able to connect with the clubs owners in such a way, we have watched in awe at the likes of Andy Holt at Accrington and Carol and Kevin Shanahan at Port Vale for their local connections.
"Frank and Judith are Oldham through and through, they are one of us. They understand what this town means and that can only mean great things for our clubs future. We love how they are heading off on Frank's motorbike, it just shows the character of the two of them. Very much down to earth and we love it."
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