OLDHAM forward Simon Knox signed for Leigh today after the Biffs released him from his contract.

The Oldham Evening Chronic went on to say, "... working on the principle that an unhappy player is better off elsewhere, the Oldham board and head coach John Harbin decided not to stand in Knox’s way when the former Widnes prop asked for a move."

"It was rumoured within weeks of his signing that he was unsettled. He also had to cope with a recurring knee problem, with the result that he played in the first three competitive games of the season and then missed the next five." We'll see how long he 'struggles' with it at Hilton Park.

Fishing for excuses, Tenko Hamilton said, “He asked a fortnight ago if we would release him, but he has never really settled from the time he arrived. He found it hard to combine work commitments, the demands of training and the travel from his home near Leigh three or four times a week."

He went on. "We tried to do an exchange deal with Leigh but they didn’t have enough cover to have the players we wanted so we are now pursuing other avenues in our efforts to being in additional strength.”

And the solution? Like a scene from a Dickensian novel, new Oldham coach John Harbin has taken the unusual step of putting two 16-year-olds - one of whom is still at school - on standby for Sunday’s home game with Gateshead.