ACCESS AREAS ARE SO VITAL!

BEING a 24-year-old B man with cerebral palsy and a wheelchair user, I had more reason than most to be upset when Oldham Athletic were relegated to the National League a year ago.

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I imagined that every away day would mean watching the game from a worm's-eye view, unable to see anything but the touchline mud.

I also imagined being in a mixed-fan zone, with the wheelchair users of Halifax or Gateshead. This is halfand-half scarf magnanimity territory a place in which I, an Oldham fanatic, am an alien.

Worse still, I thought I'd be in with the main body of home fans. It's a good job we're so rubbish away from home four wins all season - so I haven't really been in a position to wind anyone up by doing something incendiary like celebrating a goal. Chance would be a fine thing.

But that also means that I have to wear it when opposition fans celebrate. I've done a lot of that this season. If you are among the main body of Oldham fans, you probably get about a second before the roar hits you to process the fact that the ball is once again lodged in your net.

You get to take a deep breath so that you have the lungful of air you need for the mournful sigh you’re about to let out. You don’t get a second if you’re among the other team’s fans. It’s immediate and it’s right in your face.

Raucous