Almost 9,500 supporters turned out for the first of the two discounted clashes, organised after the club teamed up with main sponsors Hillstone Developments.

Paul Warne had fired Athletic into an early lead, but Dean Hammond broke free in the box to level the match just after the hour.Latics, who hit the woodwork through Chris Taylor and Gary McDonald, couldn't break down a stubborn Brighton resistance, and were forced to settle for a draw.

Speaking exclusively to oldhamathletic.co.uk, Mr. Corney urged fans to continue backing the team as the Boundary Park high-flyers look continue their good run - both on Saturday and in the coming months:

"Ticket sales were good during the week, and I wasn't disappointed, but it would have been nice to break the 10,000 barrier.

"I'd imagine we'll get a similar attendance on Saturday, give or take a few hundred - but it'd be nice if we get more.

"Hopefully a few fans will come back for future games.  It will certainly be interesting to see what our attendances are for games in January.  There's some big fixtures coming up, such as the New Year's Day game against Nottingham Forest.