Latics will be looking to put Sunday’s disappointment behind them when they welcome Scunthorpe United to Boundary Park for the first game of the new decade on New Year's Day (3pm KO).
Form Guide
Despite defeat on Sunday, Oldham’s form still ranks highly, over the last six they have picked up 10 points which is the joint sixth most. Dino Maamria’s side will be looking to carry on this good run and prove that Sunday was just a blip.
Scunthorpe have lost their last two league games on the bounce but prior to that had been one of the in-form teams in the division, putting on an eight-game unbeaten run of which they won five. As well as this the Iron performed well in the EFL Trophy where they beat League One opponents Sunderland and Blackpool.
The Iron’s last six:
- Blackpool 1-3 Scunthorpe United (EFL Trophy)
- Forest Green Rovers 0-2 Scunthorpe United
- Scunthorpe United 2-2 Colchester United
- Grimsby Town 0-1 Scunthorpe United
- Scunthorpe United 0-2 Walsall
- Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Scunthorpe United
Head-to-Head
Oldham have won 16 of the 52 matches that these two sides have played against each other.
The two teams have already played once this season in a contest that finished as a 2-2 draw. Christopher Missilou and Johan Branger-Engone on the scoresheet that day. The game previous between the two sides was also back at Glanford Park which was won 2-0 by Oldham Athletic.
Scunthorpe United 0-2 Oldham Atheltic – 3rd March 2018
Two goals in the last 12 minutes for Latics saw them climb out of the Sky Bet League One relegation zone.
Patrick McEleney came off the bench to score a goal on his debut for the club and put them ahead in the clash and just four minutes later fellow substitute Eoin Doyle made sure the points went back to Boundary Park.
The result lifted Latics to 18th whilst the Iron stayed in 5th place.
League Story So Far
The Iron endured a terrible start to their league campaign, losing six of their first seven games and having to wait till matchday eight for their first win beating Morecambe 3-0.
Their form did not drastically improve after tasting victory though, the Iron won just two of their following nine league games but an impressive 3-0 win over Sky Bet League One side Sunderland in the EFL Trophy appeared to give them momentum as after that, they won four out of their next five league games before the streak came to an end with a 2-0 defeat against Walsall.
United’s good form has meant they have gone from being in relegation trouble to a comfortable 14th position two points ahead of Oldham however, Latics do have a game in hand.
What We Said
Dino Maamria after his side’s 4-1 defeat against Salford City: "We've won games, yes we've lost some too, it's a bad loss this one in a local game against Salford but that happens in football.
"It's about how we respond from that, we've got a lot of young players there so what we've got to do is make sure we give them confidence.
"I am also really disappointed for the fans with five plus thousand turning up, I hope they come back on New Year's Day where hopefully we can give them a performance to be proud of."
What They Said
Paul Hurst after his sides loss against Crewe: "I don't think we quite had the energy, or the quality enough times. I thought we had some spells where we kept the ball and passed it, but we didn't find our spare man anywhere near as well as what Crewe did. I felt there were times where Kev (van Veen) found positions in the first half but we didn't seem to find him, whereas Crewe always did find their man.
"Our goal came from a good finish from Novs, who worked tirelessly today I felt, and then we pinched the ball off them quickly after and almost got in a position, and we could have made it a nervy last 10-15 minutes. To concede two minutes after the goal though took the wind out of our sails."
Watch Out For
Kevin Van Veen – Dutch striker Kevin Van Veen is in his second spell as a Scunthorpe United player.
He originally joined in January 2015 from FC Oss and made his debut in a 1-0 defeat against Oldham before scoring his first goal in English football the next week in a win over Swindon Town.
He had a loan spell away to SC Cambuur in 2016 before leaving the club on a permanent to join Northampton Town in January 2018. Van Veen failed to score in the second-half of the season for the Cobblers and his side were relegated to League Two.
On the 1st of January 2019, Van Veen rejoined Scunthorpe United for an undisclosed fee.
Van Veen has shown good form so far this season and was nominated for Sky Bet League Two’s player of the month for October as his goals helped the Iron recover from a horrible start to the season.
It has been confirmed today though that he may miss out completely due to illness.
In The Dugout
Paul Hurst will be in the visiting dugout for Boundary Park’s first game of 2020.
Hurst was appointed as Scunthorpe’s boss in May 2019, his first post since his short spell with Ipswich Town. Hurst has also managed Ilkeston, Boston, Grimsby and Shrewsbury.
Barring a brief loan spell with Burton Albion, Hurst spent his whole playing career with Rotherham United making over 400 league appearances for the Millers. He was part of the Rotherham squad of 1996 that won the Football League Trophy.
Ticket Information
All ticket information can be found by clicking here. Please note the away stand (Chadderton Road End) is cashless entry only, with tickets being able to be purchased direct from the Ticket Office on Furtherwood Road.
A reminder that supporters who have purchased half-season tickets, these are valid from this game onwards. More details are available by clicking the below image.
How To Follow The Game
If you can't attend the fixture in person at Boundary Park, live commentary is available for all subscribers on iFollow Latics with Mike Leyland and Roy Butterworth who will be talking you through the match.
The iFollow video match pass is available once again for overseas and UK residents due to it not being a Saturday 3pm kick-off.
To subscribe for the fixture, click here. The match pass fee is £10 and includes on-screen graphics and replays.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.
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