Salford RLFC draw bumper crowd for first-ever game as Oldham prevail
The Salford RLFC fans pictured during their first game against Oldham in January 2026
Around 5,000 spectators watched Salford RLFC’s first-ever game on Friday night as they lost out 44-0 to Oldham in the opening game of the 2026 Championship season.
Salford re-formed during the off-season following the liquidation of their former incarnate, Salford Red Devils.
Former Red Devils man Mason Caton-Brown spearheaded a consortium which took charge and formed the new club, finding out late in December that they had won the bid to do so over a handful of rivals.
Less than four weeks on, the new club saw its men’s side take to the field for the first time on Friday night in the Championship: and a bumper crowd packed into the CorpArq Stadium to see it.
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Salford RLFC draw bumper crowd for first-ever game as figure revealed
As was perhaps expected given the rapid-fire nature that Salford’s squad has been put together, and the Super League experience on show for Oldham, it ended a comfortable evening on the field for the visitors – who won 44-0.
Backed by a healthy number of travelling fans, the Roughyeds had led 16-0 at half-time, with Ben O’Keefe, Ted Chapelhow and Tom Nisbet on the scoresheet.
That first half was played in two stages, with the game having been halted and delayed for around half-an-hour with 32 minutes on the clock due to a serious medical emergency in the crowd.
Both clubs’ medical teams and the paramedics present rushed to the aid of the supporter in need of assistance, with further details on their condition still awaited.
No further points were added by Oldham in the eight minutes of the first half which remained, but they did add 28 unanswered points to their tally in the second half.
Riley Dean, Jake Bibby, Cole Geyer, Owen Farnworth and Ryan Lannon were the men on the scoresheet in the second half for Oldham.
Still searching for their first points of the new era, Mike Grady’s Salford side travel to Hammersmith Hills Hoists in the Second Round of the Challenge Cup next weekend.
The winner of that tie will host Super League outfit Hull FC in next month’s Third Round.
Oldham meanwhile host Orrell St James at Boundary Park for the chance to welcome Dewsbury Rams, King Cross Park or West Hull in the Third Round.
