Latics vs. Stevenage

Sky Bet League Two - Matchday 12

15 October 2021

Latics welcome Stevenage to Boundary Park this weekend as they continue their Sky Bet League Two campaign (3pm KO).

Last time out, Keith Curle’s men drew 0-0 away at Mansfield Town and they will be hoping to go one better this time around.

Form Guide

Stevenage are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions; a much welcome return to some form after they went nine games without success.

That run of four games features three league outings with a win coming against Hartlepool United. They also beat League One side Oxford United 2-1 in the EFL Trophy.

They are currently 15^th in League Two, five points ahead of Oldham. Similarly to Latics, they have won 50% of their first two games in the EFL Trophy and still have a chance to book their place in the knockout round.

Boro’s Last Six:

Stevenage 2-2 Exeter City
Oxford United 1-2 Stevenage
Stevenage 2-0 Hartlepool United
Harrogate Town 0-0 Stevenage
Stevenage 0-4 Forest Green Rovers
Sutton United 2-1 Stevenage

Head-to-Head

Meetings: 11

Latics wins: 3
Stevenage wins: 5
Draws: 3

Last season, Boro got the better over Latics on both occasions that they came up against each other.

In September 2020, a strong second half from the hosts at Broadhall Way was enough to see them claim a comfortable victory.

Second half strikes from Elliot Osborne, Luther James-Wildin and Luke Prosser gave Stevenage a 3-0 win.

In the reverse fixture at Boundary Park, a solitary strike from Scott Cuthbert gave the visitors all three points in April 2021.

Latics will be hoping that they can turn their fortunes around against Boro as they have not managed to win any of their last five meetings against them.

You have to go back to January 2014 for Latics’ last win against Stevenage. A 13^th minute goal from James Wesolowski was the only goal of the game at Boundary Park.

Watch Out For

Few players have had better starts to the season in League Two than Stevenage’s Elliott List.

Elliott List.jpg

With seven goals already this campaign in all competitions, List has been a huge player for Boro so far this term.

He comes into the game in brilliant form, having scored both of Stevenage’s goals in their 2-2 draw with Exeter City last time out.

He was also on target in their recent win over Hartlepool United, grabbing their second less than a minute after the interval.

The 24-year-old played for Crystal Palace as a youth player before earning his first professional contract at Gillingham.

Whilst with the Gills, he scored 10 goals in 102 games.

To show just how impressive List’s season has been so far, he is already close to matching his best season of his career.

In The Dugout

Alex Revell is the man in the dugout for the visitors.

Alex Revell.jpg

Revell has been manager at Stevenage since February 2020 following the resignation of previous boss Graham Westley.

He had just two games before the season was brought to a premature end as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 14^th placed finish was achieved during his first full season as boss, with Boro’s form improving drastically during the second half of the campaign.

Stevenage are one of the many teams that Revell represented as a player.

Match Officials

The official in the middle for the game is Robert Madley.

Robert Madley.jpg

Initially, Rebecca Welch was appointed as the referee for the match, however, it's recently been changed.

Madley last officiated an Latics game in December 2020 as we picked up a 4-2 win against Newport County at Rodney Park. On that day, he handed out three yellow cards and zero red cards.

He's taken charge of nine games, so far, this campaign, handing out a total of 29 yellow cards and one red card.

Madley will be assisted by Paul Stonier and Geoffrey Russell, with Ben Toner the Fourth Official.

Sky Bet Odds

Currently, Latics are slight favourites to pick up a much needed three points and are 8/5 to do so.

Stevenage are 13/8 to win and keep their recent improved form going.

Both sides drew last time out and 11/5 is the price for the draw this time around.

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

How To Follow The Game

Club News

14102021 Programme Stevenage

14 October 2021

Live commentary is available on iFollow Latics with Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown who will be talking you through the match.

The iFollow video match pass is available for overseas residents only. Please note there will be no match pass available for UK residents on iFollow now it is no longer taking place behind-closed-doors alongside the Saturday 3pm blackout enforced by the footballing governing bodies.

For more information, visit the iFollow Latics page.

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

Match Reports

Latics 3-0 Stevenage

16 October 2021

Latics secured their first league win at Boundary Park since the 9th April with a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Stevenage.

A brace within 20 minutes from Davis Keillor-Dunn and a second half strike from Dylan Bahamboula was enough to make sure of a crucial three points that lifts Oldham out of the bottom two.

Latics remained unchanged in their starting XI after a point away at Mansfield Town last weekend.

The first sight of goal came for Latics in the second minute, a ball played across the box by Carl Piergianni found Jack Stobbs, whose shot was deflected behind for a corner kick.

Oldham continued their good start to proceedings and Bahamboula came close to heading home a Stobbs cross, with his effort bouncing back off the post.

Keith Curle’s men did get the goal that their early dominance deserved in the sixth minute. A clever corner routine courtesy of Jamie Bowden and Benny Couto allowed the former to find enough space to find a ball of real quality, Keillor-Dunn was on hand to supply the smart finish.

The lead was doubled in the 17^th minute, Zak Dearnley led a brilliant counter-attack, finding Bahamboula to his left. The attacker showed his trademark trickery to evade oncoming challenges before he laid the ball off to Keillor-Dunn, who took his time before expertly finding the corner of the net for his second of the day.

There was a hairy moment at the other end of the pitch in the 28^th minute but Jayson Leutwiler did just about enough to thwart the efforts of the inform Elliot List.

Boro grew into the game as the first half went on and Latics again had a nervy few moments in the 43^rdminute, it took a series of blocks from the Oldham defence to deny the visitors getting a foothold back in the game.

It wasn’t the last opportunity that Stevenage had before the end of the first half, List found himself unmarked in the Latics’ box but his glanced header didn’t come close to troubling Leutwiler.

Latics began the second half in a similar fashion to how they started the first. Dearnley and Callum Whelan both had efforts from range inside the first eight minutes of the interval but unfortunately the quality didn’t match the ambition, and both sailed wide of the goal.

The 58^th minute saw the hosts stretch their lead with another quick counter-attack. Again, it was Dearnley to start the move by playing a great ball over the top to Bahamboula who got there before the advancing Boro ‘keeper and the Congolese forward kept his nerve to roll the ball into an unguarded net.

Stevenage continued to try and get back into the game and it was List again who had an opportunity, but he couldn’t get enough power on his header from Bruno Andrade’s cross and it was an easy save for Leutwiler.

List continued to be the main threat for Boro and in the 73^rd minute his skills proved too much for Stobbs and he was able to supply a decent cross into the box, but the effort didn’t trouble the Latics’ stopper.

Bahamboula continued to give Stevenage a headache in the 80^th minute, he picked the ball up near halfway and executed one of his trademark runs before eventually firing the ball over the bar.

Latics managed to hold off any threat that the visitors brought to the table, securing their fourth clean sheet from five Sky Bet League Two games.

Oldham Athletic: Leutwiler, Clarke, Piergianni ©, McGahey, Stobbs (Vaughan, 87), Whelan, Keillor-Dunn, Bowden, Couto, Bahamboula (Hope, 90), Dearnley (Fage, 75)

Substitutes not used: Rogers, Da Silva, Edwards, Sheehan

Stevenage: Anang, James-Wildin, Coker, Reeves, Cuthbert ©, List, Osborne, Andrade (Melbourne, 81), Vancooten, Reid (Norris, 59), Smith (Tinbu, 81)

Substitutes not used: Bastien, Prosser, Townsend-West, Johnson

Referee: Robert Madley

Attendance: 3,492 (107 away)