A regional daily has celebrated the start of a new era for a football club it covers after a dark period in its history.

The Oldham Times marked the planned sale of Oldham Athletic on its front page on Friday after an as-yet unnamed local business has agreed to buy the club and its Boundary Park stadium.

It comes after the club, nicknamed ‘Latics’, faced a turbulent season in which they left the Football League for the first time in 115 years, with current owner Abdallah Lemsagam’s tenure marred by protests from supporters.

Friday’s splash, pictured below, was designed by Newsquest Lancashire & Greater Manchester’s deputy regional editor Roger Airey.

Newsquest Lancashire & Greater Manchester digital sports editor David Pye told HTFP: “At the Oldham Times, we pride ourselves in our coverage of Oldham Athletic and being a trusted source of news for supporters of this renowned club.

“And our dedicated Latics correspondent, Suzanne Geldard, has worked hard in difficult circumstances to make sure fans get consistently balanced and accurate news from Boundary Park.

“It has been a difficult period for this famous club, exiting the Football League in May for the first time in 115 years.

“But a change in ownership will give Latics a fresh start and as the biggest sports club in the town with so many people following its fortunes, our widespread coverage in print and online on Friday reflected the importance of the news a takeover had been agreed.

“The Oldham Times will continue to back Latics next season after their relegation as a new dawn beckons under new ownership as we strive to offer fans the best coverage, both digitally and in print.”