Factfile: Curtis Main

Curtis Main was on loan at Oldham last season and helped the Latics avoid relegation from League One

Here’s what sports desk trainee Ben Shaw found out about the front man...

1. Born in South Shields on June 18, 1992, Main started out at Sunderland before being released as a youngster.

2. League Two side Darlington signed Main in 2005, before awarding him with a professional contract in 2007.

3. On May 3, 2008, he became the youngest player to play for Darlington’s first team at the age of 15 years 318 days.

4. His first senior goal came in a late 1-0 victory against Grimsby Town in February 2009.

5. In total the striker has scored 28 goals in 203 senior appearances, with 24 of those coming in the Football League.

6. In May 2009, the then 16-year-old spent a week on trial at Fulham but was subsequently rejected.

7. Darlington decided to release the striker in 2011, leading to Main having trials at Bury and Hartlepool United before being signed by Tony Mowbray at Middlesbrough.

8. Scoring only six goals in 48 appearances for Middlesbrough, he was loaned to League One Shrewsbury Town in 2013, where he played just six times.

9. At the end of the 2013-14 season, Main was sold by Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee to League One outfit Doncaster Rovers on a three-year contact.

10. Relegation rivals Oldham Athletic took Main on loan in February 2016. There he scored four goals in five games, leading to Oldham’s survival and Doncaster’s relegation.

11. Doncaster manager Darren Ferguson tried to recall Main from his loan from Oldham but a clause in his contract gave the striker the ultimate decision, which he rejected.