On July 4, 1899 Pine Villa Football Club ceased to exist.

However, there were no tears because the birth of Oldham Athletic came about.

The Latics have had a roller-coaster ride over the last twenty years, seeing action in the Premiership and the equivalent of the Championship before suffering relegation down to the current Coca-Cola League One.

Athletic were founder members of the Premier League back in the 1992-93 season, and stayed in the top flight for three seasons - one campaign in the old First Division, two in the Premier League.

They also enjoyed glory in both cup competitions (FA and League Cup).  Indeed, they appeared in the 1990 Littlewoods Cup Final at Wembley, only to lose 1-0 to the late Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, a game that even 'Cloughy' himself said was an unfair result.

The FA Cup also brought disappointment for Oldham when they lost two Semi-Finals to Manchester United.  Their 1990 appearance in the last four was their first foray to that stage since 1914, but they bowed out to Manchester United 2-1 in a replay after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the initial clash.

Latics appeared in the semi-finals again in 1994, losing out 4-1 in a Maine Road replay following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.

Oldham have won three championships in their history - the old Second Division in 1990-91, and the Third Division titles in 1952-53 and 1973-74.