Let's make a list.




Theres probably more but 38 players ain't bad!

ps What ever happened to two game legend Desi?

Found him.

Always knew Desi had talent!

I believe he might be playing for Sale Sharks 'A' team the Jets in the Zurich 'A' League over in Union.

Although there could be two players called Desi Williams I guess.

Isn't there a Martin and a Neil Roden at Oldham too? Danny Maun at Batley (these are off the top of my head)

Martin McLoughlin and Liam Bretherton are both at Rochdale.

sam reay is also at Blackpool

It shows how innately ridiculous the view is that you're somehow at fault for releasing youngsters.

We'd have nowhere to play most them.

There are and they are cousins I think. Neil is the son on one of our top scouts I think but I am not they both played for our academy?
Bilko will know ......

Was Stefan Ratchford ever in the academy or was it just as a school boy?

He was on the scholarship but didn't go any further.

Cheers Alex, I knew that when I taught him he had training and stuff at Wigan but never knew the extent of scholarship/contact he was under.

A bit worrying, that.

Martin and Neil Roden definitely played for the Academy after playing for St Pats prior to that.

Sure I heard Mike Ratu of Leeds saying he was with the Wigan Academy for a while before moving on.

I thought that, but I also knew maybe I was biased at the time.
Not the only to slip throught the net, go back to 95 ish when we signed a lad called Stuart Fisher and turned down Paul Deacon!!

Deacs got some stick at college for being an "Oldham" player from lots of our academy at the time. Good to know 14 years on he made his rugby do the talking

This thread has got me thinking about names and faces from when i used to watch academy games.
What ever happened to Darryl Cardiss? David Whittle? Michael Whitehead? just to name a few that have popped in my head in the last 10 mins.

Liam Bretherton came through the Warrington Academy at first didnt he not before Wigan signed him?

Well if they did it was pre 2002 when I started this site.

He was on a Wigan scholarship but moved to Leeds academy when he was 15 / 16.

was Dave Whittle a prop? if so he played for Leigh in late 90's and im sure he badly broke his leg and retired,Mike went back to Barrow and is now playing at Workington

I was looking at the programme from the final game at Central Park the other week and Stefan Ratchford played for pats in the curtain raiser that day.

Useless info i know.

Mike Priest - Oldham

Certainly some good players on that list,

No surprises on how good Briscoe has been for us this year, think most knew his quality and was unfortunate with your lot to be stuck behind Radlinski. Not sure on why FC released him and their fans still say that was the worst decision there club has made on retention in recent years.

The big surprise for me was how good Colburn has been for us, I wasn't particualary inspired when I heard he was coming but he has been absolute top drawer. Maybe not the fastest in terms of a winger but is the hardest runner and driver of a ball in our team. Constantly makes 10 -15 yards from his own line and supports well. Would be really disappointed if we lost him for any reason.