In front of over 3,000 traveling supporters, the visitors defeated Rochdale in a thrilling seven-goal thriller to make Micky Mellon’s debut as Latics manager unforgettable.
This was a game that had it all: a hotly contested local derby, the manager’s debut, an enthusiastic audience that was gripped from beginning to end, and of course, seven goals. Crucially, the Latics prevailed 4–3, extending their winning streak to eight games. Now, two points outside of the play-off spots in the National League standings, they are ranked 10th. Before Tuesday’s trip to Fylde, Mellon will have a lot of good and unpleasant things to think about after seeing the performance. In his opening encounter, Mellon made
6,722 people attended the game; little less than half of those in attendance were Latics fans, who occupied the largest stand in Crown Oil Arena. They bravely raised their voices from the very beginning. After three minutes, Liam Hogan nearly deflected a shot into his own goal for the home team, but Matt Hudson securely collected. Hope scored a goal down the middle almost immediately, but Dale goalkeeper Louie Moulden stopped it. An indication of things to come was the end-to-end activity.
In the sixteenth minute, Latics took the lead thanks to a powerful goal from Nathan Sheron after Mark Kitchings’ cross. James Norwood and Devarn Green both had good chances that would have put Oldham ahead 4-0 at the half. In first-half stoppage time, Norwood looked to have his own teammate block his shot close to the goal line. After 49 minutes, Green brilliantly headed home Kitching’s left-wing cross to give Latics a second goal early in the second half. However, Jimmy Keohane of Dale cut the deficit to 2-1 three minutes later with a low shot inside the area. Then, on the hour, Keohane, the same midfielder, scored his second goal when his shot within the box beat Hudson to even the score. That seemed to galvanize Latics, and on sixty-four minutes, Hope scored the game’s first goal, giving Moulden no chance as he skillfully curled in a strike from twenty yards. After Hope’s deftly placed assist allowed him to slip the ball through for his first goal of the game on 72 minutes, Norwood, who had threatened multiple times in the first half, increased their lead to 4-2.
However, despite the electrifying atmosphere, Rochdale remained resolute and equalized nine minutes into normal time through a goal from Keohane, who finished his hat-trick and once more cut the deficit. The 18 minutes of extra time did not help the tense situation for Latics, but in the end, much to the satisfaction of the supporters, they managed to hold on for all three points. The displays of “disorder” inside the Rochdale stadium, which at one point during the game spilled onto the pitch’s corner, have since been denounced by Latics officials. Latics released a statement this morning (Monday) about the ongoing inquiries into the scenes by the police. “Oldham Athletic is working alongside Greater Manchester Police following incidents of disorder at Saturday’s game against Rochdale,” the Latics club said in a statement. “The club affirms its zero-tolerance policy on anti-social and unruly behavior and denounces all kinds of such behavior. “The club is also awaiting reports from the relevant bodies and will co-operate fully with any investigations which take place.”
