MIKE FORD is set to take over as head coach of Oldham following the exit of Sean Long, League Express can exclusively reveal.

Long left the Roughyeds by mutual consent last night despite steering them to a top-four Championship finish in the club’s first season back in the second tier.

In his first season as Oldham boss, Long guided the club to a first-place finish in League One, confirming the Roughyeds’ immediate promotion to the Championship for 2025.

However, Ford will now take the mantle as head coach going into the 2026 campaign, League Express can reveal.

Ford has a plethora of coaching experience, but most of his experience has been in rugby union, with the 59-year-old enjoying spells as assistant coach of Leicester Tigers as well as head coaching roles at Bath and Toulon.

The former England and Great Britain halfback has also coached Oldham before, leading the Roughyeds for six games in 2023 as well as at the turn of the century along with a spell at Bramley.