Ex-Latics’ player Jack Byrne has finally spoken of his time at Boundary Park. He moved on to Kilmarnock and was an unused substitute in Killie’s shock win over Celtic at Rugby Park last Sunday. He has played just 15 minutes for Killie since joining them in early September. The 22-year-old was ostracised from the Latics' first team for misdemeanours and had spoken critically about how the club was run, as well as writing social media attacks on Frankie Bunn and Abdallah Lemsagam.
A cautious Byrne said, “I can’t really say anything on the matter. The club don’t want me to. But my conscience is clear, 100 per cent. I think most people [in Oldham] know what went on. They got relegated, I was probably one of the higher earners and they needed me to go. I needed to go as well to further my career. That was all it was; there wasn’t anything else to it. But it probably could have been handled a little bit better. It is what it is; that’s football. They criticised me but that’s people trying to force your hand to do something you don’t maybe want to do at the time. Maybe it was to get something over the line that benefits the club more than the player. That’s all that is, I think.”
“I did well [on loan in Holland], broke into the Ireland squad and then went to Blackburn on loan. I was told I was going to play as a number 10 but when I went there they played 4-4-2 under Owen Coyle and I don’t think it suited my style of play. Wigan came for me in January last year but Warren Joyce was sacked a month later when I was just getting back fit and into the team. Wigan tried to do a swap deal with Hearts for Jamie Walker in January this year but it didn’t materialise and I ended up going to Oldham. But I’m here now, playing under a really good manager. I’m just looking to learn, looking to try and get my career back on a steady track again.”