2015-03-22 21:01#210845 Zap : Nice updates, going strong. Good luck!!Cheers Zap
oo, Big Statement from Mr Paul S. Promotion or I'm a Failure, Let's hope for Promotion!
October Update
What a month that was! Four wins out of five has taken us up to third place, losing out on an automatic promotion spot by goal difference. Some results have been well deserved although, we did lose against the league leaders which was always going to be a mammoth task. The team seems to have fully synced with each other and are playing some free-flowing football, as demonstrated in most games this month.
Fixtures
PETERBOROUGH UNITED 3 (Blake pen 21 Anderson 63 Baldwin 84), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Vicente pen 15).
PUFC: Alnwick, Blake, Zakuani, Bostwick, Ntlhe (Rose 85), Norris (Anderson 45), Keane (Ferdinand 58), Baldwin, Payne, Newell, James
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Kelly, Jones, Mellis, Dombaxe, Vicente, Wilkinson
Referee: J. Moss
Booked: Bostwick (Peterborough)
Attendance: 6,604
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Elokobi 17), WALSALL 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Kamara, Vicente, Johnson
WFC: MacGillivray, Purkiss, O'Connor, Willis, Taylor, Cook, Cain (Mantom 56), Robinson (Baxendale 45), Chambers, Benning (Bradshaw 45), Grimes
Referee: S. Bratt
Booked: Mills (Oldham), O'Connor, Chambers (Walsall)
Attendance: 4,577
CHESTERFIELD 0, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 4 (Johnson 5,10,pen 89 Dombaxe 86).
CFC: Lee, Darikwa, Hird, Evatt, Jones, Ryan, Marrow, Morsy, Clucas (Banks 22), O'Shea (Humphreys 56), Dieseruvwe (Gnanduillet 51)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Mills, Kelly, Mellis (Elokobi 51), Jones (Wilson 24), Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson
Referee: N. Swarbrick
Booked: Morsy, Ryan (Chesterfield), Faye, Mills, Aké (Oldham)
Sent off: Marrow (Chesterfield)
Attendance: 6,758
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Vicente 29 Johnson 41), PRESTON NORTH END 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson
PNEFC: Stuckmann, Woods, Huntington, Packwood, Davies (Buchanan 77), Welsh, King, Little (Johnson 77), Holmes, Brownhill, Robinson (Garner 56)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson
Referee: C. Berry
Booked: Dombaxe, Orr (Oldham), Welsh, Woods, King (Preston)
Attendance: 1,593
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 4 (Vicente 7 Elokobi 30 Dombaxe 44,87), BRADFORD CITY 2 (Stead 22 Meredith 46).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye (Aké 73), Elokobi, James, Kelly, Mellis, Jones (Wilson 65), Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 65), Johnson
BCAFC: Pickford, Darby, McArdle, MacKenzie, Sheehan, Oriol (Yeates 51), Zoko (Hanson 45, Routis 53), Knott, Meredith, Halliday, Stead
Referee: J. Linington
Booked: Faye (Oldham), Knott, Meredith, Routis, Halliday, MacKenzie (Bradford)
Sent off: Meredith (Bradford)
Attendance: 6,244
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Johnson 13 Kamara 83), COVENTRY CITY 1 (Nouble 71).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Kusunga, Elokobi, Mills, Aké, Mellis, Kelly (Jones 35), Dombaxe (Forte 33), Kamara, Johnson
CCFC: Burge, Pennington, Martin, Johnson, Haynes, Barton, Finch, Lawton (Pugh 36), Williams, Jackson (Nouble 45), Tudgay (Miller 56)
Referee: C. Boyeson
Booked: Elokobi (Oldham), Johnson, Finch (Coventry)
Attendance: 5,171
League Table
We have risen considerably into third place, taking and beating any previous contradiction that we were to be one of the strugglers in this league. We've given the middle finger to the press and so-called 'experts' thus far and want to continue to do so. We just need to break away from the rest of the play-off pack and then we can put together a real challenge for automatic - maybe even title-winners, but we must remember this is very early in the season and a lot can go wrong from here, but a lot could also go right...
November
We face a tough challenge in second place Bristol City, who are the top scorers in the league at the time of writing, so keeping their goal-thirsty attackers away from goal will prove to be a heavy challenge for our defenders. We also debut in the F.A. Cup next month against Southport - second place in the Vanarama Conference, so they will definitely be up for this game and will hope to spring a surprise victory over a high-spirited Oldham.
Oldham Chase Colombian Wonderkid
Jhon Wilmar Arango with his Atlético Nacional teammatePaul Scholes has decided to look to the South Americas for his next signing as he eyes up Atlético Nacional wonderkid Jhon Arango, the Colombian 16 year old with 21 Colombia Under-20's caps.
The midfielder has only made four professional appearances for clubs in his career, yet Scholes believes this boy has the talent to lift Oldham out of League One and possibly further as he will look to blossom under the Champions League winner.
The national press which covers affairs surrounding Atlético Nacional and Colombia's national teams have indicated that Oldham will be signing a future star should Scholes offer Atlético Nacional a suitable bid. The media have already predicted that Arango will be playing in Europe within the next five years, so you can tell the nation have high expectations for this boy.
A close supporter of Los Verdolagas has spoken highly of the 16 year old, praising his technical ability and comfort on the ball. "He is Colombia's next hope" said the fan.
"He can play central midfield or attacking midfield, excellent in both positions, it will be a sad day if we lose such a great talent as the boy has built a great bond with the fans here already but the European attraction may be too strong to resist, we know that, if he keeps progressing at the rate he is now, we can only expect to lose him to one of Europe's elite. He has so much potential."
Going off the back of that, Oldham will be extremely lucky to have brought such a player to League One, but Scholes knows how to handle young players as he has seen so many promising players 'destroyed' at Old Trafford in his glory days.
November Update
After an absolutely abysmal performance at Ashton Gate against Bristol City, we made up for it by going unbeaten for the rest of the month. Our ten men were torn apart by sixty-fourth minute substitute Luke Freeman as he went onto score a nine minute hat-trick with the other from West Brom loanee Adil Nabi following George Elokobi's sending off in the ninth minute of the game - an event which may've influenced the rest of the game. However following that disaster against Bristol City, two cup games arrived for a chance to redeem ourselves. One was against Southport in the F.A. Cup First Round, the other being the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Quarter Final against Doncaster Rovers, which finished 1-1 after 120 minutes of play, and took us fourteen penalties to finally book a place in the semi-finals.
Fixtures
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
BRISTOL CITY 4 (Freeman 66,69,75 Nabi 68), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0.
BCFC: Fielding, Flint, Hall, Williams, Little (Ayling 69), Bryan, Smith, Douglas (Elliott 75), Lundstram, Nabi, Emmanuel-Thomas (Freeman 64)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Wilson, Elokobi, James (Mills 46), Aké (Kusunga 69), Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Kamara, Johnson (Wilkinson 81)
Referee: G. Eltringham
Booked: Bryan, Smith, Lundstram (Bristol), James, Wilson (Oldham)
Sent off: Elokobi (Oldham)
Attendance: 11,283
FA CUP 1ST ROUND
SOUTHPORT 1 (Marsden 79), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Dombaxe 4 Jones 27 Collins og 90).
SFC: Lloyd-Weston, Kay (Challoner 65), Collins, Connor, Fitzpatrick, Foster, George, Joyce, Almond (Evans 65), Donnelly (Marsden 76), Brodie
OAFC: Ricardo, Orr, Faye (Wilson 79), Kusunga, James, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe (Kamara 45), Forte, Klasnic
Referee: A. Haines
Booked: Kay, Foster, George (Southport), James, Faye (Oldham)
Attendance: 4,885
JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY NORTH QUARTER FINAL
DONCASTER ROVERS 1 (Main 45+1), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Vicente pen 29). (13-14 ON PENS).
DRFC: Gazzaniga, Wabara, McCullough, Jones, Evina, Bennett, Middleton (Keegan 61), Furman (Wellens 67), Harriott, Peterson (Tyson 61), Main
OAFC: Ricardo, Orr, Wilson, Elokobi (Kelly 45), Mills, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson
Referee: P. Dowd
Booked: Furman (Doncaster)
Attendance: 2,873
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 4 (Jones 29 Wilkinson 37,44,90+2), CRAWLEY TOWN 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké (Elokobi 45), Mills, Kelly, Mellis, Jones, Kamara, Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 33)
CTFC: Price, Simpson, Ward, Walsh, Dickson, Richefond, Kiwomya, Smith, Henderson (Isaacs 86), Morgan (Anderson 70), McLeod (Tomlin 57)
Referee: G. Horwood
Booked: Faye (Oldham)
Attendance: 4,660
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
SHEFFIELD UNITED 0, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Dombaxe 45+2).
SUFC: Howard, Alcock (McEveley 81), Basham, Collins, Brayford, Harris, Coutts (Higdon 67), Wallace, Ralls, McNulty (Scougall 67), Done
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Aké, Jones, Mellis, Dombaxe (Kamara 89), Vicente (Forte 89), Johnson
Referee: O. Langford
Booked: Wallace, Higdon (Sheffield), Dombaxe, Faye, Elokobi, Orr, Mills (Oldham)
Attendance: 13,825
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
ROCHDALE 1 (Vincenti 21), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Dombaxe 62).
RFC: Lillis, Bennett (Kennedy 85), Collins (Rafferty 79), Lancashire, Tanser, Pearson (Lund 73), Allen, Dawson, Vincenti, Henderson, N'Guessan
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye (Wilson 63), Elokobi, Mills, Kelly, Mellis (Aké 73), Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 63), Johnson
Referee: A. Woolmer
Booked: Collins, Rafferty (Rochdale), Orr, Wilson (Oldham)
Attendance: 6,796
League Table
A month later, we still maintain 3rd spot which is excellent - especially being so close to the top with only one point separating us from Bristol City. Along with this is that we have won the most games in the league after winning twelve of our nineteen games, with four other teams sharing second spot with eleven games won. Our goal difference took a massive hit after our 4-0 loss but we still hold the third best goal difference in the league so I can't argue with that.
December
Next month we face play-off chasers MK Dons and Crewe Alexandra who will be hoping to steal some points off of us to gain ground in their play-off adventure. We will also play Tranmere Rovers in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy semi-final as we go searching for our first bit of silverware of the season. We also play strugglers Scunthorpe United in the second round of the F.A. Cup as we hope to progress further into a very successful cup run.
Transfers
Following the termination of Reece James' loan, we had to be on the look-out for a new back-up left-back. After a few days of searching, my scouts came back with former Xanthi full-back Paíto. He is a Mozambique international thirty-one times in his career and has spent most of his time in the Portuguese top-flight with spells at Braga, Vitória Guimaraes and Sporting Lisbon. This is his first season in English football.
Oldham Snap Up Guthrie
Oldham have today announced the arrival of English centre-midfielder Danny Guthrie on a free transfer.
The midfielder was released by Championship outfit Reading at the end of last season after starring in Reading's failed play-off push in which they finished 7th. Guthrie made 32 appearances that season. The season before, Guthrie had made 21 appearances in the Premier League for The Royals after arriving at The Madejski Stadium on a free transfer from Newcastle United in the summer of 2012.
The 27 year old kicked off his professional career at Liverpool in 2003, he went on to make just three first-team appearances over the five years he spent at the club, which included a loan spells at Southampton and Bolton before joining Newcastle United for a fee of around £2.3 in 2008.
Oldham manager Paul Scholes spoke highly of his new signing "He's excellent, definitely higher than League One at this moment in time and he will prove why shortly.
"He's earned the career he's had and has become a very well respected man over the course of his career.
"His history in the top-flight speaks volumes of where he should be at and we're more than happy to take him on board and take us where we want to be.
"He possesses great skill on the ball, his physical attributes are excellent and his passing is unquestionably beyond this level. He's just what we need as the current trio in midfield need a well-deserved rest after performing excellently pretty much all season so far."
The former Newcastle midfielder has reportedly taken a pay cut to join Paul Scholes' Oldham side, earning around £2,000 per week. He spoke to local press upon signing for The Latics.
"The attraction of such an iconic figure in Paul Scholes definitely enticed me to the club. He spoke highly of the club and his ambitions were certainly something I'd be interested in being a part of
"I've taken a look at the playing squad here prior to signing and there's lots of names I recognise from playing against in the higher leagues and that demonstrates the calibre of player that both the board and manager are looking for. They're the types that'll get you somewhere in English football."
December Update
We end the year on a high note, in second place at the time of 31st of December at 23:59. We have ourselves an F.A. Cup Third Round tie with Premier League opposition in Swansea City courtesy of a 2-0 win over Scunthorpe United. Along with this is that we are in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy North Final, so if we win that against Burton we go through to the official final against either Newport County or Leyton Orient. In the league, we picked up three wins, one draw and a loss, so overall, not a bad month.
Fixtures
F.A. CUP 2ND ROUND
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Dombaxe 3 Wilkinson 72), SCUNTHORPE UNITED 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 62), Johnson (Wilkinson 62)
SUFC: Slocombe, Clarke, Davey, Mirfin, Townsend, O'Neil, Bishop, Evans (Syers 61), Osbourne (Adelakun 85), Buckley, van Veen (Madden 54)
Referee: K. Wright
Booked: Aké (Oldham), Clarke, O'Neil (Scunthorpe)
Attendance: 3,780
JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY NORTH SEMI-FINAL
TRANMERE ROVERS 0, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 5 (Johnson 7,8,23,pen 49 Dombaxe 26)
TRFC: Ramsbottom, Holmes, Thompson, McGahey, Ridehalgh (Jennings 45), Kirby (Molyneux 64), Power, Lussey, Garmston (Dugdale 75), Stockton, Donnelly
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Kusunga, Aké, Paíto, Kelly, Mellis (Faye 37), Jones (Wilson 54), Dombaxe, Forte, Johnson
Referee: P. Bankes
Booked: Power, Kirby (Tranmere)
Attendance: 2,953
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 4 (Paíto 10 Johnson 35,57 Weale og 66), YEOVIL TOWN 1 (Moore 86).
OAFC: Ricardo, Orr, Faye (Wilson 86), Elokobi, Paíto, Aké, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 86), Johnson
YTFC: Weale, Sokolik, Arthurworrey (Nugent 71), Cooper, Shephard, Gillett, Berrett, Foley, Gorré (Dawson 50), Leitch-Smith, Ugwu (Moore 55)
Referee: G. Salisbury
Booked: Elokobi, Mellis (Oldham), Shephard, Gillett (Yeovil)
Attendance: 5,460
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
MILTON KEYNES DONS 3 (Potter 33 Grigg pen 44 Bowditch 79), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Aké 41 Johnson pen 90+3
MKDFC: McLoughlin, Spence, Flanagan (Potter 30), Kay, Lewington, Andrews, Alli, Powell, Reeves, Williams, Grigg (Bowditch 60)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Kelly, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 45), Johnson
Referee: A. Haines
Booked: Lewington, Reeves (MK Dons), Mellis, Orr, Aké, Jones (Oldham)
Attendance: 8,402
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 4 (Dombaxe 15,76,78 Paíto 90), CREWE ALEXANDRA 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Aké, Mellis, Guthrie, Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson
CAFC: Shearer, Tootle, Tate, Davis, Leigh, Waters, Turton, Jones (Atkinson 61), Ajose (Inman 51), Grant (Murdoch 61), Appiah
Referee: S. Mathieson
Booked: Elokobi (Oldham), Jones, Turton (Crewe)
Sent off: Elokobi (Oldham)
Attendance: 5,951
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
BARNSLEY 2 (Bailey 5 Hourihane 69), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Vicente 44,47)
BFC: Turnbull, Williams, Ramage, Nyatanga, McCartney, Bailey (Cranie 63), Scowen, Abbott (Hourihane 45), Boakye-Yiadom, Jennings, Hemmings (Berry 65)
OAFC: Ricardo, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Kelly, Mellis, Guthrie, Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson
Referee: C. Breakspear
Booked: Nyatanga, Scowen, Williams, Ramage (Barnsley), Guthrie (Oldham)
Sent off: Williams (Barnsley)
Attendance: 8,195
League Table
This month has pushed us up into the second automatic promotion spot and you cannot say we don't deserve it. We've been superb all season, beating any predictions and doing it in a very entertaining style at the same time. Obviously I'd much prefer us to finish in the automatic spots as I don't think my players are up to the challenge of playing two or three more games that they potentially didn't have to at the end of the season.
January
We start the New Year against Premier League opposition as Swansea City arrive here at Boundary Park in the F.A. Cup Third Round. We play in the North Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy against League Two outfit Burton Albion in hope to reach the National Final which will be played out at Wembley as I hope to achieve my first bit of silverware as manager of Oldham Athletic. In the league we face third placed Doncaster Rovers who will be hoping to steal our 2nd place position in the first league game of the month. We later play play-off chasers Fleetwood Town and then relegation battlers Gillingham and Notts County at the end of the month as well.
Oldham: Two Arrive, Three Depart
Manchester City's Bismark Adjei-Boateng and Atlético Nacional's Jhon Wilmar Arango have both joined Paul Scholes' Oldham side this transfer window, Adjei-Boateng arriving on loan and Arango coming permanently on a three-year deal at the club.
24: Bismark Adjei-Boateng
Loaned from Manchester City
What makes Adjei-Boateng so brilliant is not only that our scouts rate him as a great Championship player, but that he can play literally anywhere in the middle of the park, from centre-back to centre-midfield! His work rate is impeccable and spent all season up until now at Norwegian Premier League title holders Stromsgodset, which highlights the youngsters talent. He has spent three seasons on loan there, making 46 league appearances for them and being part of two title-winning sides. He's an all-round masterpiece, he has the tackling and heading of a defender, the passing and vision to be a playmaker, the aggression and work rate of a defensive midfielder along with some great attacking attributes also. If my scouts are to be relied upon, they rate him our best midfielder in the team - ahead of the likes of Danny Guthrie, Jacob Mellis, Mike Jones.
34: Jhon Wilmar Arango
£75,000 from Atlético Nacional
Arango has come from the flair and pace of Colombia, to the grit and determination of the English lower tiers. It may take him a while to truly settle in, but once he does he will become one hell of a player. He's already made thirty appearances for his country's under-20 side at the raw age of 16 years old, scoring 5 goals. He's had the luxury to play alongside players such as Éder Álvarez Balanta and Juan Fernando Quintero for his country, but whether them influences will be effective in such a rough and tumble league. In the best case scenario, Arango will provide another style of play to the other ten players, his flair and dribbling skills on the ball will stand out amongst the physicality of this league and hopefully the leagues above us. If that scenario is the case - we can expect ten, maybe fifteen years of pure talent.
January is usually the time you truly evaluate your options within the team, those who don't get game time are most likely the first ones to leave, that is definitely the case here as three of our players, Ivan Klasnic, Amari Morgan-Smith and Brian Wilson have all been released with just four competitive appearances between them this season.
Klasnic only joined in August, as part of the revamp made by new manager Paul Scholes, he looked to be heavily involved with this seasons events, but since the introduction of Andy Johnson AND the one striker formation, the Croatian international found himself outshined by loanee Conor Wilkinson and Andy Johnson. He played in the 1-0 loss to Preston in the league back in late August and the 3-1 F.A. Cup First Round victory over Vanarama Conference side Southport in early November and that was his last first-team action before his release in early January.
Amari Morgan-Smith was always going to struggle, he was a Lee Johnson signing and he came from a heavily non-league background, signing from Vanarama Conference's Kidderminster Harriers before Scholes' arrival at Boundary Park. Since then, he was put in the under-21 team and made no appearances for the first-team.
Brian Wilson was another Lee Johnson signing. Following four seasons at Colchester United in League One in which he featured in just over 150 league games, including every single game of the 2011-12 season where Colchester finished 10th. The arrival of Bradley Orr on a free transfer knocked him down the pecking order at right-back, and since Orr received the team's captaincy on a permanent basis, Wilson would've known by then there was little chance of getting a game. What would've been the final straw for Wilson was that in Orr's absence due to suspension, centre-back Genséric Kusunga was chosen ahead of him to stand in against Fleetwood. Three days after that fixture, Wilson had been asked to leave Boundary Park.
January Update
An absolutely superb month for us as we kick off 2015 with a bang. Andy Johnson had a great month, bagging eight goals from seven games, including a thirty-minute hat-trick against Notts County. Our two new signings - Jhon Wilmar Arango and Bismark Adjei-Boateng also featured heavily since joining the club. At the end of the month we hold third position, with one game in hand and one point away from second place Doncaster.
Fixtures
F.A. CUP 3RD ROUND
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0, SWANSEA CITY 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Aké, Guthrie, Mellis, Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 62), Johnson (Wilkinson 78)
SCFC: Fabianski, Ángel Rangel, Fernández, Williams, Taylor, Dyer, Cork (Carroll 67), Britton, Jarvis (Montero 62), Shelvey, Gomis (Nélson Oliveira 56)
Referee: K. Friend
Booked: Paíto, Orr, Aké (Oldham)
Sent off: Aké (Oldham)
Attendance: 10,485
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Johnson pen 70 Wilkinson 89), DONCASTER ROVERS 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Kelly, Guthrie, Mellis, Dombaxe, Vicente (Kamara 75), Johnson (Wilkinson 75)
DRFC: Gazzaniga, Doyley (Jones 71), McCombe (Wabara 66), Butler, Evina, Coppinger, Wellens, Furman, Harriott, Ikpeazu (McKay 90), Robinson
Referee: C. Sarginson
Booked: Elokobi, Paíto, Faye (Oldham), Doyley, Wellens, Furman (Doncaster)
Sent off: Jones (Doncaster)
Attendance: 5,679
F.A. CUP 3RD ROUND REPLAY
SWANSEA CITY 0, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Wilkinson 102)
SCFC: Fabianski, Ángel Rangel, Fernández, Williams, Taylor, Cork (Carroll 57), Shelvey, Britton, Jarvis (Montero 57), Sigurdsson, Gomis (Nélson Oliveira 57)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Aké (Kelly 106), Guthrie, Jones (Mellis 78), Dombaxe, Vicente (Kamara 78), Wilkinson
Referee: M. Dean
Booked: Shelvey, Britton (Swansea), Mills, Faye, Aké, Orr (Oldham)
Attendance: 9,738
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
FLEETWOOD TOWN 2 (Sarcevic 54 Ball 78), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Kelly 89).
FTFC: Maxwell, McLaughlin, Donacien, Roberts, Crainey, Pond (Ball 45), Hughes, Sarcevic, Fulton (Haughton 83), Morris (Dobbie 78), McAlinden
OAFC: Kean, Kusunga, Wilson, Elokobi, Paíto, Kelly, Mellis, Jones (Arango 60), Dombaxe (Kamara 78), Vicente (Forte 78), Johnson
Referee: M. Russell
Booked: None.
Attendance: 3,289
JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY NORTH FINAL 1ST LEG
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Mellis 15 Johnson 47, 58), BURTON ALBION 1 (Beavon 81).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie (Adjei-Boateng 81), Mellis, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 58)
BAFC: McLaughlin, Naylor, Maletic, Cansdell-Sherriff, Taft, Harness (Phillips 56), Brown, O'Sullivan, Lenihan (Beavon 58), Fosu, McGurk (Weir 58)
Referee: P. Tierney
Booked: None.
Attendance: 6,668
F.A. CUP 4TH ROUND
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Vicente 8 Johnson 31), BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango (Kelly 20), Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 58)
BHAFC: Stockdale, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Halford (Calderón 51), Crofts (Stephens 58), Holla, Pringle, Baldock (Mackail-Smith 39), O'Grady
Referee: M. Clattenburg
Booked: Crofts (Brighton)
Attendance: 10,562
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Johnson pen 10 Elokobi 77), ROCHDALE 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr (Wilson 64), Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Aké, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng (Jones 64), Dombaxe, Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 64)
RFC: Lillis, Bennett (Rafferty 90), Collins (Eastham 77), Lancashire, Kennedy (Tanser 77), Dawson, Vincenti, Allen, Lund, N'Guessan, Bunney
Referee: D. Bond
Booked: Adjei-Boateng, Elokobi, Aké (Oldham), Dawson, Kennedy, N'Guessan, Bennett (Rochdale)
Attendance: 5,695
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Johnson 1, 4, 30), NOTTS COUNTY 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 81)
NCFC: Carroll, Dumbuya, Edwards, Hollis, Keane, Thompson, Smith (Whitehouse 64), Jones (Bishop 45), Noble (Traoré 80), McCourt, Spencer
Referee: D. Handley
Booked: Noble (Notts County)
Attendance: 5,585
League Table
A win in our game in hand would take us not only into second place, but one point off the league leaders Bristol City. I think we are far beyond the stages of competing for the play-offs and I firmly believe that our battle will be fought at the top of the table from now onwards. I cannot see us losing our place in the play-offs from here - even with 19 games remaining.
February
Following our F.A. Cup giantkillings of Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, we come up against our biggest challenge yet - Premier League leaders Manchester United in the 5th round of the cup. A team consisting of international superstars such as Falcao, Juan Mata, Rooney, Ángel Di María, led by one of the current greatest managers Louis Van Gaal - and most importantly, the team I spent my entire career at. I must win that game. It is my destiny. Along with that clash comes the second leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy North Final against Burton Albion where we hold a 3-1 lead as we hope to book our trip to Wembley in March.
F.A. Cup: Oldham Athletic vs Manchester United - LIVE
Hello and welcome to Boundary Park where a full-capacity crowd will watch League One outfit Oldham take on Premier League leaders Manchester United. Manchester United seem to be playing a close enough full team today, featuring Wayne Rooney, Marcos Rojo, Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera. We have the team news now:
OLDHAM ATHLETIC XI: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente, Johnson
MANCHESTER UNITED XI: Víctor Valdés, Rafael, Evans, Marcos Rojo, Shaw, Fellaini, Carrick, Ander Herrera, Januzaj, Wilson, Rooney
OLDHAM SUBS: Ricardo, Mills, Mellis, Wilkinson, Elokobi, Kelly, Forte
MAN UNITED SUBS: De Gea, Valencia, Young, Van Persie, Mata, Blind, Falcao
It's now about to kick-off at Boundary Park. And it's all here on Sky Sports 2... And it's LIVE:
1' Arango plays it back to Aké from kick-off. Paíto receives it on the left and gives it short to Vicente. Back to Paíto who plays it first-time to Arango who drills the ball into Andy Johnson, finds Dombaxe who can have a go! Straight into the hands of Valdés.
9' Rafael has a throw-in near the Oldham byline. Rooney puts a ball in towards Januzaj which only finds the head of Man City loanee Adjei-Boateng. Fellaini nods it out wide back to Rafael, another cross put in now... Finds Faye's head which Dombaxe clears further.
20' Paíto throws it to the feet of Vicente, who turns and fires a ball hip-height towards Arango, lays it off for Danny Guthrie, who's fired the ball way over into row Z.
40' Vicente will take a corner for Oldham. Rojo clears only as far as the bald head of Andy Johnson who goes out wide left with the ball, plays Vicente inside now. Adjei-Boateng has the ball inside the box... Rojo makes a great tackle which ricochets towards Johnson who fires a shot just wide of the post.
42' Orr takes the throw-in and aims towards Guthrie's chest. Back to Orr who puts a first-time cross in towards the 5'8" figure of Johnson, only to be headed away by Jonny Evans. Carrick fires the ball up from his own box into Jake Kean's waiting hands.
45' It's 0-0 at the break.
46' Mata comes on for Januzaj at the break as Rooney kicks the second half off for us.
50' Rafael takes a throw-in deep inside Oldham territory. Shocking throw as Guthrie volleys it high up the pitch to Oldham's lone striker Johnson. Carrick moves over to a right-back position to get under the ball to head it away. OH NO! He's tried to head it back into Valdés' hands and it's gone short to Johnson who has a clear one-on-one opportunity! Johnson bears down on the isolated Valdés, can he finish??? HE CAN! ANDY JOHNSON HAS PUT OLDHAM AHEAD ON 50 MINUTES! IT'S A FAIRYTALE STORY FOR OLDHAM AND MORE SO PAUL SCHOLES! EXCELLENT FINISH FROM THE FORMER FULHAM MAN!
50': Oldham 1 - 0 Man United
56' Rafael takes yet another throw-in. Mata kicks the ball against Adjei-Boateng's chest but tackles him back to regain possession. Now here's Rooney, Paíto dispossesses the England international and falls at Guthrie's feet. Arango gives it to Johnson. Excellent ball to find Vicente out on the left flank. A cross is blocked by Rafael and has found Paíto, Vicente again now. Adjei-Boateng on the edge of the box now, a central ball into Guthrie's feet. Johnson hits one onto the post but he was offside. Free-kick to Man United.
57' Vicente comes off for Jonathan Forte for Oldham and James Wilson jogs off to be replaced by Falcao.
59' Evans takes the free-kick on the halfway line. Finds Herrera unmarked. Flies a ball into the path of Falcao's run. Falcao's got the beating of Abdoulaye Faye here... RADAMEL FALCAO!!! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! MAN UNITED DRAW LEVEL! FALCAO'S ONLY BEEN ON THE PITCH A MATTER OF SECONDS AND HE'S SCORED!
59': Oldham 1 - 1 Man United
62' Shaw takes the throw-in deep inside his own half. Finds Herrera's feet now, Mata now chips a ball into Rooney. He's beaten Nathan Aké with skill and puts a ball into the path of Falcao. Orr makes the tackle however it's fallen at Mata's feet. Rooney dispossessed yet again by the Mozambique international Paíto. Johnson has it at his feet at the halfway line now, his back to goal. Finds the run of Forte who has yards of space in front of him here. He's got the beating of Rojo inside the box now... And he's hit the ball into the side-netting.
64' Marouane Fellaini makes way for Daley Blind
86' Rafael with a throw-in deep inside Oldham's half, Blind controls. He returns it to Rafael now who crosses towards the head of Falcao at the near-post, Aké heads away to the feet of Daley Blind inside the box... Hits a soft shot with his left-foot... Kean's not reacted and it's hit the post and rebounded to Aké's feet where it is fired away.
87' Laste Dombaxe comes off for Conor Wilkinson, which puts Andy Johnson on the right-wing and Wilkinson the lone striker now.
90' Mata swings a cross in from the free-kick, Orr wins the header and Wilkinson gathers the ball in hope of starting a counter-attack. Booted up and it's a soft header by Evans towards his keeper, a ball which Jonathan Forte is determined to intercept, but Valdés gathers the ball. Valdés switches the play over to the left to Luke Shaw who tries to play a ball over the top, which Faye clears with his head. Shaw wins it again, this time plays it short to Herrera. Mata now. He's put Falcao through here... Excellent sliding tackle by Abdoulaye Faye! Blind now has it, tackled straight away by Adjei-Boateng. Absolutely wonderful ball to find the run of Jonathan Forte on the left, who's left his marker for dead with his blistering pace. He heads towards the byline with options in the middle, Rafael catching up now... HE'S BEEN BROUGHT DOWN! PENALTY SURELY! IT IS! IT'S A PENALTY IN THE 90TH MINUTE OF THE GAME! IF OLDHAM SCORE IT'S GAME OVER!
Now. It's Andy Johnson. He scored the opener for Oldham today only to be cancelled out by Falcao's finish nine minutes later - can he put Manchester United to bed finally? He takes three steps back. Runs up to the ball..... IT'S A GOAL!!! ANDY JOHNSON HAS PUT OLDHAM THROUGH TO THE NEXT ROUND OF THE F.A. CUP AGAINST THE PREMIER LEAGUE LEADERS! THE 32 YEAR OLD IS MOBBED BY HIS TEAMMATES AT THE CORNER FLAG! AND WHO'S THIS? IT'S THE MANAGER PAUL SCHOLES WHO HAS RUN ONTO THE PITCH TO JOIN HIS SIDE'S CELEBRATIONS! HE'S DEFEATED HIS FORMER CLUB WITH HIS BOYHOOD TEAM! WHAT A MOMENT!
90': Oldham 2 - 1 Man United
90+3' We're in the final seconds of said added time, Faye intercepts a pass. Now Bradley Orr - who's been urging his team to seal the last three minutes out - he hasn't shut up! Fires a ball up to the hero himself Andy Johnson, Shaw tackles but that's it! Paul Scholes has defeated the team that gave him his career, at his second home, the place where he spent every other weekend as a boy. Boundary Park. What a moment for this man, he celebrates with the fans - his fans. What a picture that is. It's all over - Oldham Athletic two, Manchester United one. Oldham will have to wait two days to find out who they play next, but now it's all about today.
Full-Time: Oldham 2 - 1 Man United
What a brilliant result for Scholes against his only club, United! It is great to see things going so well with Oldham as I loved managing them on my own save. Keep it up and keep pushing for promotion.
February Update
Although it wasn't our greatest month in terms of our league performances, the win against Manchester United in the F.A. Cup has made our season in my opinion. However we find ourselves drifting away from the automatic promotion spots. Six games ago we were just one point away from Doncaster, to six points away and level on games with them. Doncaster had a flawless month this month, winning every single one of their games and gaining fifteen points in doing so, we lost two games including a 1-0 loss against 22nd placed Gillingham as well as our game in hand against Colchester United.
Fixtures
JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY NORTH FINAL 2ND LEG
BURTON ALBION 2 (McGurk 9 Blyth 54), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Vicente 46, pen 61 Wilkinson 51).
BAFC: McLaughlin, Edwards, Maletic (McCrory 54), Cansdell-Sherriff, Taft, Weir, Mozika, Doyle, Beavon, Blyth (Phillips 70), McGurk (Akins 80)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Wilson, Elokobi, Mills, Jones, Kelly, Dombaxe, Arango (Adjei-Boateng 3), Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 45)
Referee: K. Hill
Booked: Edwards, Mozika, Taft (Burton), Adjei-Boateng, Mills (Oldham)
Sent off: Mozika (Burton), Elokobi (Oldham)
Attendance: 4,708
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
SCUNTHORPE UNITED 1 (Madden pen 69), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Johnson 82).
SUFC: Slocombe, Clarke, O'Neil, Mirfin, Townsend, Bishop, Syers, Osbourne, Buckley, Kee (Wootton 82), Madden
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye (Wilson 58), Aké, Paíto, Kelly, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Vicente (Forte 75), Johnson
Referee: S. Bratt
Booked: Syers, Bishop, Townsend (Scunthorpe), Paíto (Oldham)
Attendance: 2,536
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Jones 6 Dombaxe 72), SWINDON TOWN 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Kusunga, Aké (Adjei-Boateng 72), Mills, Mellis, Jones, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente (Forte 72), Wilkinson
STFC: Foderingham, Stephens, N Thompson, Branco, Ward (Toffolo 72), Kasim, Byrne, L Thompson, Gladwin, Obika (Williams 56), Smith
Referee: M. Heywood
Booked: Kusunga (Oldham)
Attendance: 5,085
F.A. CUP 5TH ROUND
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Johnson 50, pen 90), MANCHESTER UNITED 1 (Falcao 59).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe (Wilkinson 88), Arango, Vicente (Forte 57), Johnson
MUFC: Víctor Valdés, Rafael, Evans, Marcos Rojo, Shaw, Fellaini (Blind 64), Carrick, Ander Herrera, Januzaj (Mata 45), Wilson (Falcao 56), Rooney
Referee: M. Atkinson
Booked: Adjei-Boateng (Oldham), Rafael, Ander Herrera, Shaw (Man United)
Attendance: 10,938
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
GILLINGHAM 1 (McDonald 84), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0.
GFC: Nelson, Brown, Egan, Ehmer, Chimbonda, Loft (Martin 74), Hessenthaler, Linganzi (Sheehan 51), Pritchard, Norris (McDonald 45), Marquis
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Mellis, Vicente (Forte 45), Johnson
Referee: T. Harrington
Booked: Pritchard (Gillingham), Guthrie, Aké (Oldham)
Attendance: 4,390
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
LEYTON ORIENT 1 (Simpson 41), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Wilkinson 56 Forte 75).
LOFC: Ward, Omozusi (Cuthbert 73), Baudry, Lowry, Dossena, Isgrove, Vincelot, James, Cox (Wright 55), Anderson (Mooney 56), Simpson
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Mills, Guthrie, Jones, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente (Forte 55), Wilkinson (Johnson 74)
Referee: O. Langford
Booked: Simpson, Vincelot, Mooney, Dossena (Leyton Orient), Mills, Guthrie, Faye, Orr (Oldham)
Attendance: 3,513
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Guthrie pen 76), COLCHESTER UNITED 2 (McEvoy 10 Moncur 15).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Kusunga, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Mellis (Vicente 45), Forte, Johnson (Wilkinson 64)
CUFC: Walker, Clohessy, Kent, Osborne, Briggs, Gilbey, Pearson (Fox 74), Moncur, Coulibaly, McEvoy (Lawrence 87), Healey (Porte 82)
Referee: D. Webb
Booked: Paíto (Oldham), Pearson, Clohessy (Colchester)
Attendance: 4,948
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Vicente 28 Johnstone og 69), PRESTON NORTH END 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Elokobi, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente (Forte 80), Johnson (Wilkinson 80)
PNEFC: Johnstone, Clarke, Huntington, Wright, Buchanan, Humphrey, Browne, Johnson (Welsh 56), Laird, Gallagher (Robinson 59), Garner (Kilkenny 79)
Referee: D. Deadman
Booked: Johnson, Browne, Laird, Welsh (Preston)
Sent off: Welsh (Preston)
Attendance: 6,465
League Table
As I said before, we've lost a massive amount of ground on the automatic promotion spots, now six points behind and no games in hand to stabilise our challenge anymore, however being nine points ahead on the team below us is a massive positive as well as being fifteen points ahead of 7th place makes it very unlikely for us not to be involved in any play-offs.
March
We have the long-awaited F.A. Cup 6th Round fixture against Queens Park Rangers early this month, yet another Premier League opposition and if we can beat the Premier League leaders, why can't we beat the relegation battlers? Later on this month we play at Wembley against Leyton Orient in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final as I hope to gain my first piece of silverware of my Oldham reign. The main fixture in the league this month is where we play 4th placed MK Dons as we hope to go twelve points ahead of them.
Inside Oldham: Youth Intake 2014-15
It's that time of year again, new stars are brought through, others dreams are shattered. Youth intake day.
Oldham have a decent history of producing successful youngsters, players like Birmingham's Neal Eardley, Manchester City's Micah Richards and Andy Hughes have all come from the academy of The Latics. Here are some of the highlighted players this year has given us:
Jack Woolley
Goalkeeper
At the raw age of sixteen, Woolley is a giant between the goalposts - standing 6 foot seven inches tall. His aerial ability goes well with his height, and maybe he may get even taller as he's got many years to do so. His jumping ability has been highlighted by youth coach Dean Holden, however, you must wonder whether he'll need to jump at his height. His anticipation and one-on-one shot stopping attributes look very good for such a young player. I can see many years of success out of Woolley.
Potential Ability:
Bhavin Mandora
Right-Back
Pace is ideal when you're talking about a full-back, and Mandora has got bags of it. To add to his physical ability, the boy can dribble, so on the attack Mandora is a real threat should he be given the instructions to get forward. As for his defensive ability, you can't argue with decent tackling when you're a full-back, his heading also comes in handy should a looping ball down the line come his way. His bravery also stands out, he'll challenge for any ball at all, he's not scared. He's an excellent prospect for a 15 year old.
Potential Ability:
Allan Clarke
Left-Back
Like Mandora, Clarke possesses great pace and even better dribbling, with the ability to put a good cross in if needs be. His work rate is impeccable, and that goes well with his endurance, as he can get up and down the pitch without trouble. He shares similar defensive attributes with Mandora - not excellent or stand-out, but good enough for his age.
Potential Ability:
Phil Day
Centre-Back
Phil is definitely one of our most promising prospects. He possesses all the talents you will ever require in a centre-back, he's the perfect height as well - standing at six feet two inches which isn't too big to mess up a challenge on the floor and not too small to miss headers and get bullied by bigger strikers. He's got great strength for a young kid, his determination is beyond any I've seen at this club. He's definitely a team player, he can play all across defence as well which is key. And most importantly - the boy can tackle.
Potential Ability:
Dominic Sharples
Centre-Midfield
He most definitely doesn't look like your average 15 year old, but he also plays like a seasoned pro. He possesses flair that many of these domestic players don't have, which is brilliant and makes him unique - unpredictable. His passing is very good for his age, and his work rate is perfect for a central-midfielder.
Potential Ability:
Harrison Glover
Left-Winger
Harrison has everything you would want to build a perfect winger. He has the pace, and acceleration to reach that top speed, the dribbling which is essential for any successful winger, and the ability to cross - that isn't even getting started on his mental stats. His teamwork is amongst the best in all three of our squads and yet again, he's a workhorse. He can get back to help defence and can do anything you ask of him.
Potential Ability:
Gavin Hare
Attacking-Midfielder
This boy is definitely the pick of the bunch. Even now I believe he could fit into our starting-eleven. His first touch is as good as some of our first-teams, his dribbling is one of the best in our league, never mind for his age. He is brave, he is a great team player and works extremely hard like many other candidates. All them attributes and we haven't even got onto the physical attributes yet! He possesses great natural fitness, something I doubt will ever deteriorate in his career and I can see him becoming a great at this club.
Potential Ability:
March Update
I picked up my first piece of silverware this month as we made our way down to London to beat Leyton Orient 2-0 at Wembley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final. To go with this, we managed to not only close the six point gap between us and Doncaster, but steal 2nd place while going level on points with league leaders Bristol City - losing out on top spot by just one goal. Our F.A. Cup dream was ended as well following a 2-1 loss in a replay at Loftus Road, after the reverse fixture at Boundary Park finished 2-2.
Fixtures
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
PORT VALE 3 (Birchall 46 Celina 52 Orr og 75), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Dombaxe 5 Johnson 51, 63).
PVFC: Neal, Wilson, Long, Dennis, Daniel (Deen-Conteh 69), Kapend, Birchall, Andoh, Celina, Petrasso (Lloyd 51), Nimely (Hayter 64)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente (Forte 64), Johnson (Wilkinson 64)
Referee: C. Foy
Booked: Kapend (Port Vale), Adjei-Boateng (Oldham)
Attendance: 4,867
F.A. CUP 6TH ROUND
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Dombaxe 59, 80), QUEENS PARK RANGERS 2 (Taarabt 11 Zárate 70).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Ake, Paíto, Guthrie (Kelly 81), Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango (Mellis 59), Vicente, Johnson
QPR: McCarthy, Caicara, Caulker, Smith, Suk-Young, Sandro (Henry 80, Barton 89), Fer, Isla (Phillips 80), Zárate, Taarabt, Austin
Referee: A. Marriner
Booked: Orr (Oldham), Sandro, Caicara (Q.P.R)
Attendance: 10,815
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
YEOVIL TOWN 1 (Cooper 47), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Johnson 39 Forte 75).
YTFC: Krysiak, Sokolik, Arthurworrey, Cooper, Dawson, Edwards, Gillett, Ralph (Grant 64), Gorré, Hoskins (Leitch-Smith 45), Ugwu (Moore 64)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente (Forte 65), Johnson (Wilkinson 65)
Referee: D. Drysdale
Booked: Edwards (Yeovil), Faye (Oldham)
Attendance: 3,207
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 (Arango 80), BARNSLEY 1 (Bailey 32).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente (Forte 64), Johnson
BFC: Turnbull, Holgate, Cranie, Ramage, Nyatanga, Bailey, Digby (Scowen 81), Hourihane, Lalkovic, Sinclair (van de Laak 81), Winnall
Referee: K. Johnson
Booked: Adjei-Boateng, Paíto (Oldham), Ramage, Bailey, Cranie, Holgate, Scowen (Barnsley)
Attendance: 6,531
F.A. CUP 6TH ROUND REPLAY
QUEENS PARK RANGERS 2 (Kranjcar pen 32 Zárate 61), OLDHAM ATHLETIC (Dombaxe 15).
QPR: Green, Caicara, Caulker, Onuoha, Suk-Young, Barton (Fer 56), Isla (Sandro 67), Bellerín (Taarabt 45), Kranjcar, Phillips, Zárate
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng (Kelly 57), Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 57)
Referee: M. Oliver
Booked: Dombaxe, Paíto (Oldham)
Attendance: 18,465
JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY FINAL
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Arango 3, 89), LEYTON ORIENT 0.
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Guthrie (Mellis 57), Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente, Johnson (Wilkinson 57)
LOFC: Ward, Cuthbert, Baudry, Lowry, Sawyer, Zemmama, James, Vincelot, Wright (Mooney 45), Cox (Dossena 62), Simpson
Referee: G. Eltringham
Booked: Orr (Oldham), Baudry, Cuthbert, Wright, Sawyer, James (Leyton Orient)
Attendance: 22,979
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 (Johnson 28, pen 55), MILTON KEYNES DONS 1 (Carruthers 42).
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Elokobi, Paíto, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Dombaxe, Arango, Vicente, Johnson
MKDFC: Burns, Hodson, Spence, Robinson (Flanagan 55), Lewington (Jean-Francois 76), Kay, Potter, Baker, Powell, Carruthers, Bowditch (Cole 86)
Referee: D. Sheldrake
Booked: Kay, Hodson (MK Dons)
Attendance: 6,310
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
BRADFORD CITY 0, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 6 (Vicente 26, 28, pen 68 Mellis 53 Johnson 72, 73).
BCAFC: Pickford, Darby, Davies, MacKenzie, Meredith, Oriol (Morais 64), Liddle, Halliday (Dolan 35), Knott, Hanson, Stead (Zoko 64)
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Wilson, Aké, Mills, Jones, Kelly, Kamara (Hare 65), Mellis, Vicente, Johnson
Referee: D. Mohareb
Booked: Liddle (Bradford), Aké (Oldham)
Attendance: 11,571
SKY BET LEAGUE 1
CREWE ALEXANDRA 2 (Appiah 45+1 Dalla Valle 55), OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Johnson 6, pen 14 Hare 73).
CAFC: Rachubka, Turton (Dalla Valle 45), Tate (Ray 73), Davis, Leigh, Ajose (Murdoch 90), Galloway, Atkinson, Tootle, Grant, Appiah
OAFC: Kean, Orr, Faye, Aké, Mills, Guthrie, Adjei-Boateng, Kamara, Mellis, Vicente (Hare 45), Johnson (Wilkinson 26)
League Table
A great month has led us to being one goal off the top of the league - an excellent improvement from the end of February where we were six points off 2nd spot, never mind being level on points with the league leaders! Andy Johnson has played a huge part in this drastic change of fortune, scoring nine out of the six league games played this month and it has led to him topping the goalscoring charts of this league with 24 goals, four goals ahead of Doncaster's Theo Robinson who has 20.
April/May
Our first game of the month could potentially be the title decider for us as we play league leaders Bristol City, who we currently trail behind because of one goal, if we get three points against them, we go top for definite and three points ahead of them - possibly ahead on goal difference should we beat them by at least two goals. We then face a complete opposite entity in Crawley Town, who are rock bottom of the league with 26 points, sixteen points from safety. Then we play play-off chasers Coventry who need a win to keep up pace with the play-off pack. And on the final day, possibly the decider, we play fifth placed Peterborough United.
Scholes: Effort Needs To Be 100%
As the season enters its final stages, Paul Scholes and his band of merry men are fighting at the very summit of League One against two other teams.
Oldham have already qualified for the play-offs and are now fighting both Doncaster Rovers and Bristol City for the automatic promotion spots and title. Oldham beat Bristol City 3-0 at the beginning of April and are three points ahead of them, but now Doncaster have come surging through - despite a 3-1 loss to Bradford City.
At the moment, Oldham top the table - something that they haven't done all season until now, and manager Paul Scholes is determined to pull through these next few games so Oldham can be competing in the Championship for the first time since their relegation way back in 1997.
"These next few games are massive for me, the team, the fans, and the club in general. We've been just under twenty years in the shit and it's about time we got back up there actually doing something for a change.
"I've had a word with the chairman and we talked about the future - our ambitions. I want to take this team to the very maximum I can go. I want to be in charge here for a long time. Obviously, nobody expected us to get here before the season begun and some still didn't when we were about ten points ahead of the final play-off position, so it leaves many people asking if it really would be a tragedy if we weren't promoted this season?
"The answer is yes. It would. Why? Because we've got so close now, sitting at the very top of this table, only by a couple points, and if we were to end up playing in the play-offs, the lads would be mentally drained. We need to go up this season automatically. We won't get another opportunity as good as we have now, we either take that opportunity or fuck it up and stay in this division for God knows how many more years."
Scholes' mentality seems to have rubbed off on the playing squad, with Angolan winger Laste Dombaxe - an essential part of this season's success admitted that if Oldham don't go up automatically, the squad would be 'devastated'.
"The boss has told us we'd be all out of the door if we don't achieve a top-two finish this season. We have all fallen in love with this club and this adventure to be shown the door just yet, so nobody wants to leave - there's too much potential in this squad.
"This club will go places in the future if we are promoted this season, and I desperately want to be a part of that adventure. Okay, some of the players here may be a bit too old to be involved that much further with the club, but I'm only twenty? I've found myself a home at Boundary Park. This season I've improved so much even I can't believe it myself, I have my whole career ahead of me and at the rate I'm improving at, why would I swap this for any other club? I wouldn't."
You are reading "Paul Scholes: What Goes Up Must Come Down".
