Oldham Athletic v Leyton Orient
Match Preview with Stu Vose

Welcome to the first of oldhamathletic.co.uk's new-format match previews.

John Sheridan will be hoping his side can finish the season with a bang, starting with Leyton Orient at Boundary Park tomorrow.

Sheridan all but ruled out a play-off spot after his side crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Swindon last weekend to fall six points behind with four games left.

The Latics chief is expected to go into experimental mode as the season winds down, but freely admits his options are limited by the injury crisis currently rocking the club.

Sheridan is still without nine professionals and has said he is unlikely to rush players back from injury "for the sake of a couple of games."

Whilst the Latics camp may already be looking ahead to 2008/09, Sheridan is more than aware of the need to conclude business this season and is gunning for all three points against Orient.

Martin Ling's side find themselves in a similar position to Athletic, occupying a safe mid-table spot with four games to go.

A tally of 56 points from 42 games places Orient just behind 10th-placed Athletic, but at one point the London outfit looked set to make real waves in their second season back in the third tier of English football.

Orient -- buoyed by the goals of new boy Adam Boyd -- started the 2007/08 campaign like a train.

They topped the table at the end of October having won six of their first eight games, including a 100% record of four victories on the road.

Ling's men had slipped slightly by January 1, but remained seventh and just outside the play-offs on goal difference following a 0-0 draw with Gillingham on January 1.

But a run of just five wins in 2008 saw Orient slip out of the promotion picture, though fans in North London can still look back on the 2007/08 campaign as an overall success.

The supply of goals from Boyd -- signed on a bargain summer free transfer from Luton -- have proved crucial.  The ex-Hartlepool favourite has bagged 16 times in all competitions.

And tomorrow's visitors will be looking for their star man to inspire them at Boundary Park tomorrow in order to smash a dismal run of four straight defeats.

Carlisle (0-3), Cheltenham (0-1) and Port Vale (1-2) have all taken maximum points from Orient recently, while high-flying Leeds triumphed 2-0 at Layer Road last weekend.

Ling will be able to call on defenders Tamika Mkandawire, Brian Saah and Sam Oji after the trio recovered from injury problems this week. 

But captain Alton Thelwell will miss the remainder of the season with a knee problem and James Chambers faces a fitness test.

Winger JJ Melligan is likely to return after completing a three-match ban.

JP Kalala, Lee Hughes, Craig Davies Jason Jarrett, Gary McDonald, Michael Pearson and Lewis Alessandra are all still missing for Athletic.

Paul Black was expected to make a return but encountered another problem in training and will again miss out.

But Matty Wolfenden has trained over the last couple of days and looks likely to play a part up front.

Injuries have pressed apprentices Rory Winters, Ryan Brooke and Aaron Chalmers into senior action and they look likely to be amongst the substitutes.

Latics (from): Crossley, Eardley, Stam, Allott, Lomax, Hazell, Gregan, Wolfenden, Taylor, Liddell, Smalley, Kelly, Winters, Chalmers, Brooke, O'Donnell.