Latics head to Cheltenham tomorrow with more than a place in the FA Cup Second Round at stake.

For Athletic and boss John Sheridan will also be hoping to conjure up a win to banish memories of last weekend's home defeat to Yeovil - their first League reverse on home turf this season.

With the entire League programme suspended for Cup action this weekend, Sheridan knows a win at Whaddon Road would be the ideal tonic after a trying seven days.

Athletic overcame Everton on their way to the Fourth Round last season only to be knocked out by League One rivals Huddersfield Town.

Now the Latics camp will be hoping to kick off another Cup run following a sequence of two wins from nine League games, including last week's home defeat to the Glovers.

A Lee Hughes hat-trick inspired Athletic to a 4-0 win over the Robins at Boundary Park earlier in the season, but Town are a different proposition after Keith Downing was replaced by ex-Brentford chief Martin Allen.

Allen - whose father also managed the club - has brought in an army of loan players in an attempt to reverse the fortunes of his side, who are positioned in 22nd place in League One.

He has won two, drawn two and lost six of his ten games in charge so far, including a run of four straight League defeats.  But a battling performance in the 1-0 defeat to Leeds last weekend has given the Whaddon Road faithful confidence.

The League campaign has yielded three home wins so far, against Swindon (2-0), Bristol Rovers (2-1) and Colchester (4-3).  Lloyd Owusu and the now-departed Barry Hayles are joint top scorers with three goals apiece. 

Atheletic and Cheltenham have met twice previously in the FA Cup - with the Robins coming out on top on both occasions.

Tony Naylor scored both goals in a 2-1 win at Whaddon Road in 2001/02, and the scoreline was repeated at Boundary Park the following season as Mark Yeates and Paul Brayson found the net.

The overall head-to-head record stands equal at three wins apiece and three draws from five games. 

Athletic have taken four points from their last two games at Whaddon Road, claiming a 1-1 draw last season despite an injury to goalkeeper Mark Crossley. The 2006/07 season produced a 2-1 win for Latics, with the goals coming from Paul Warne and Gary McDonald.

Sheridan will be without striker Lee Hughes (suspended) but Stefan Stam and Kieran Lee have both returned from injury and are in contention.

Meanwhile Allen has been boosted by the news that his contingent of loan players can play in the FA Cup.  Additionally, the popular John Finnigan returned with the reserves in midweek after a year out through injury.

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Latics (from): Crossley, Eardley, Stam, Whitaker, Allott, Lomax, Fleming, Hazell, Maher, Gregan, Taylor, Lee, Stephens, Jones, Liddell, Smalley, Alessandra, Ormerod.