OLDHAM Rugby League Club has taken its squad numbers to 26 with the capture on a one-season contract of 23-year-old second-row forward Ethan Ferry from amateurs Dewsbury Celtic.

He was recommended to the club by his former coach at Celtic, now Oldham number two Brendan Sheridan, and he has put pen to paper, having impressed during pre-season training

Coach Stuart Littler said: “Ethan is a forward whom Shez (Sheridan) knows well. In choosing to come on trial, he backed himself to impress us and that’s to be applauded.

“I’ve seen a lot of progress in him session on session, week on week.”

Ferry was 13 when he first played rugby league, but he took to it immediately; went to Dewsbury Celtic with some of his school mates and by the time he was 16 he was making occasional first-team appearances.

At 17, he was a regular senior player.

“Shez was my coach at Celtic and he was largely instrumental in getting me over to Oldham,” said Ferry.

“A workout up Snowdon in the middle of winter terrified me because I hate heights, but it was great for several reasons. If I didn’t know before, I certainly knew then that I was now in the part-time pro ranks.”