Frank Rothwell has made it to Torquay after breaking down on the motorway.

Plans by Frank Rothwell, the intrepid new owner of Oldham Athletic, to arrive in style for the club’s first away game at Torquay were stalled when his motor-trike broke down.

Frank and his wife, Judith, set off from Boundary Park in the rain to make the 250-mile journey to Torquay on Friday, towing a ‘beer barrel’ suitcase, on a route combining motorway and normal roads.

But the drive shaft on Frank’s Triumph Rocket custom-built three-wheeler broke on the M6 toll at Birmingham and, after a three-hour wait, the couple completed their journey south courtesy of the AA.

The Oldham Times: Frank poses next to his motorcycleFrank poses next to his motorcycle

Speaking from Torquay at the end of his 11-hour journey, Frank said: “We were determined to get here whatever the circumstances, and we are both looking forward to the game.”

The club will kick off the 2022/23 season away to Torquay United today at 3pm – the club’s first campaign in the Vanarama National League after it became the first ex-Premier League club to be relegated from the EFL.

He said the Latics’ 1,500 ticket allocation for the game at Plainmoor had been sold and currently Latics had sold 3,450 season tickets.

Frank Rothwell and his family took over the club earlier this year in what is understood to be a £12 million deal – clearing the club’s debt.