Latics travel to Barrow in the search of back-to-back Sky Bet League Two victories (7pm KO).

Oldham’s form has improved of late with Harry Kewell’s men winning four of their last five matches in all competitions.

Kick off 12:15 (UK)

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Last time out, goals from George Blackwood and Danny Rowe saw Latics come from behind to win all three points against an in-form Exeter City side.

Form Guide

Barrow have made a solid start to the season following last season’s promotion from the National League.

The Bluebirds have lost just one of their last seven matches in League Two and are still unbeaten at home in the league, although have only won once, drawing six and sit 18^th in the table, one place and one point worse off than Oldham.

Elsewhere, Barrow won just three points in their EFL Trophy group meaning they missed out on a place in the knockout stages of the competition.

The Bluebirds’ last six:

1. Barrow 2-2 Forest Green Rovers
2. Cambridge United 1-1 Barrow
3. Barrow 0-1 Accrington Stanley (EFL Trophy)
4. Grimsby Town 1-0 Barrow
5. Barrow 1-0 Bradford City
6. Mansfield Town 2-4 Barrow

Head-to-Head

Meetings: 51

Latics wins: 21
Draws: 6
Barrow wins: 24

The two clubs have not met in a proper competitive fixture since the 27^th of November 2001, when Oldham won an FA Cup replay clash.

An early goal from David Eyres was enough for Latics to see off non-league opposition and secure their place in the next round of the competition.

You have to go back to October 1968 to find the last time Barrow got the better of Oldham, winning 2-1 in a League Division Three game.

It must be noted though that both sides did meet last season in the opening round of the Lancashire Senior Cup. A game which had it all finishing 3-3 with the Bluebirds edging one of the longest penalty shootouts on record, 12-11.

Team News

In terms of players for selection, Head Coach Harry Kewell has a similar squad to pick from the weekend due to the tight turnaround.

Andrea Badan remains on the treatment table for a few more weeks due to his hamstring injury, whilst Alfie McCalmont is available again after missing the game at the weekend due to fatigue from international duty.

Defenders Harry Clarke and Kyle Jameson are still sidelined with knocks, the latter out for over a month after pulling up in training last week.

Zak Dearnley is very close to a return but the good news is Conor McAleny is now available for selection after gaining full fitness and impressing in training.

Watch Out For

Dior Angus has netted five times this season.

Other than a brief spell with Port Vale, Angus has played the majority of his football in non-league, but he has shown that he can contribute for his side in League Two.

The 26 year-old started his career with Solihull Moors and had spells with Leamington, Banbury United, Kidderminster Harriers, Worcester City, Daventry Town, Stratford Town and Redditch United before getting his first taste of league football at Vale Park.

After struggling to make an impact with the Valiants, Angus was loaned out to Tamworth, Nuneaton Borough and eventually Barrow.

He did enough in his loan spell to secure a permanent deal and he helped the club to promotion from the National League in his first full season with the club.

Familiar Faces

The most notable connection between the two clubs is Barrow midfielder Chris Taylor.

The Oldham born midfielder began his career at Boundary Park and he made 294 appearances for Latics, scoring 35 goals.

The 33 year-old left Oldham in May 2012, signing a one-year contract with Millwall and went on to have spells with Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers before returning to his hometown club on loan in January 2016.

Before joining Barrow, Taylor had spells with Blackpool and Bradford City. 

This is the midfielder’s first season with the Bluebirds, and he has made nine appearances to date, with one goal to his name.

Another name that fans might remember is Barrow full-back Connor Brown.

Brown came through the youth setup at Sheffield United, but it was at Boundary Park where he got his first real taste of senior football.

He played 98 times for Latics between 2012 and 2016, scoring once.

The 29 year-old signed for Guiseley after leaving Oldham and then had a spell with York City before joining his current club in July 2018.

To date, Brown has appeared 60 times for Barrow and was part of the squad that won promotion to the Football League last season.

Finally, other connections include another new Bluebirds player Mike Jones as well their current manager David Dunn who have had spells at Latics.

Jones was a regular towards the end before his switch to Carlisle in 2016. The talented player spent two years at Boundary Park making over 80 appearances and socring 10 times.

Dunn made just nine appearances as a player for Oldham and his tenure as manager did not last long either as he was dismissed in January 2016 with the club 22^nd in the division.

He was appointed manager at Barrow in July 2020 following the departure of Ian Evatt to Bolton Wanderers.

In The Dugout

David Dunn is the man in the dugout for the hosts.

The ex-Oldham man is in his first season as boss at Holker Street and has also previously managed Blackpool.

As a player, Dunn played over 300 times for Blackburn Rovers and was capped once by England in 2002.

Stadium

Holker Street
Capacity: 5,045
Built in: 1912
Record attendance: 16,874 v Swansea City in January 1954.
Has also hosted: Barrow Bombers (Speedway)

Since their promotion the ground has had significant refurbishments, most notably in a new roof being built behind the goal of the Holker Steet End since its original was removed back in 1998.

Match Officials

The man in the middle is Declan Bourne again.

His first Latics fixture came at the start of the season in the late one-nil home defeat to Leyton Orient back in September.

He has taken charge of 11 games this campaign, including Barrow's loss at Harrogate, handing out a total of 36 yellow cards and a single red card.

He will be assisted by Gary Hilton and Simon Clayton, with Marc Edwards as the Fourth Official.

Sky Bet Odds

Barrow are 21/20 favourites for the League Two clash whilst Latics are 11/5 to make it back-to-back league wins on the road.

The draw is priced at 13/5.

Latics forward Danny Rowe is 13/2 to open the scoring at Holker Street.

Please gamble responsibly by clicking here. For more information visit: www.begambleaware.org

It's also Safer Gambling Week.

The public awareness campaign aiming to trigger a national conversation about what it means to gamble responsibly. 

The five key responsible gambling behaviours: 

1. Only spend what you can afford.
2. Set your limits for time and money.
3. Gambling is not the answer to any problem.
4. Gambling when angry or upset is not a good idea.
5. Gambling should not interfere with your personal relationship.

The campaign is led by the key trade associations the Betting and Gambling Council, The Bingo Association, bacta and in Ireland - by the Irish Bookmakers Association.

The objective is to trigger a national conversation about safer gambling, highlighting the tools, advice and help available to customers, and the initiatives being taken by operators and supporters to promote social responsibility throughout the year. 

A new website will act as an information hub, providing a comprehensive one-stop service for consumers all year round, educating them about all aspects of responsible gambling.

For more information on Safer Gambling Week 2020 (SGWeek20), click HERE or HERE, and join the conversation on social media @SGWeek20 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #SGWeek20. 

How To Follow The Game

Because the game is classed as behind-closed-doors, supporters can tune into a live match stream with commentary available for all subscribers on iFollow Latics, as Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown talk you through the action.

This match is available as a live stream for the fee of £10 by clicking here.

In the current environment, there is a greater dependence on match streaming than ever before. 

As a result iFollow generates one of the only revenue streams available to clubs through these financial challenges. 

Piracy - and illegal streaming of matches - does not only carry the risk of potential criminal action, but also has a greater financial impact on clubs while supporters are unable to attend matches. 

The EFL's campaign would like to not only convey the message that piracy is immoral and illegal, but that it is also financially damaging club's across the divisions.

For more information on the campaign and iFollow, click here.

Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.