After a month without a home fixture, Latics return to Boundary Park this afternoon with an important game against Torquay United.

David Unsworth’s side will be looking to build on a recent run of improved performances, which has seen them go close in several matches, most notably on Tuesday night when they were cruelly denied in stoppage time at Boreham Wood.

It’s the reverse of the opening game of the season, which saw Oldham play out a goalless draw at Plainmoor after a large part of the second half was spent with ten men following the dismissal of Dan Gardner.

The opposition

Torquay currently sit one point and two places above Latics in the National League table.

The side from Devon have struggled for the majority of the campaign but have picked up form over the past month, with only two defeats in their last six games.

Gary Johnson’s side were victorious in the last outing, earning a 1-0 win at Dagenham & Redbridge thanks to a goal from Will Goodwin.

From guide

After the opening day draw against Latics, Torquay won on the road at Halifax but then proceeded to lose four games in a row.

That set the tone for a poor run for Johnson’s men, losing 6-0 at Wrexham and 4-0 at Notts County as they went nine games without victory.

They picked up an emphatic win against Aldershot at the start of November and that has brought about a measure of improvement with draws against Dorking and Gateshead before the win over Dagenham last weekend.

The Gulls’ last six games

Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 Torquay

Torquay 1-1 Gateshead

Barnet 1-0 Torquay

Derby 5-0 Torquay (FA Cup First Round Replay)

Torquay 1-5 Chesterfield

Torquay 3-3 Dorking

Watch out for

Will Goodwin has found the target six times so far this season for Johnson’s side after joining on loan from Stoke.

The 20-year-old, who originally hails from Cheshire, netted the winner at Dagenham having also found the target in the emphatic win over Aldershot.

Having started his career with Chester, he moved to Stoke last February before a loan move to Hartlepool.

In the dugout

The vastly experienced Gary Johnson has been in charge of the Gulls since 2018, overseeing their promotion from the National League South in his first season.

Gary, now 67, is the father of former Latics boss, Lee, and has enjoyed plenty of success in the lower leagues, firstly at Yeovil, who he led to promotion from the National League and League One in the early 2000s.

After five years at Bristol City and time with Peterborough and Northampton, he returned  to Yeovil and masterminded their promotion through the League One play-offs in 2013.

He won the National League title again with Cheltenham three years later.

The odds

The hosts are odds on favourite with Sky Bet to win all three points, priced at 10/11.

Torquay are 11/4 to get a victory whilst the draw is at 23/10.

Match officials

The referee is Paul Marsden, and he’ll be assisted by Scott Taylor and Michael D’Aguilar, with Ben Wyatt occupying the role of fourth official.

Match coverage and information

The match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1, with the programme starting at 2.45pm ahead of a 3pm kick-off.

Supporters outside of the UK and Ireland will be able to stream the game through the National League's new streaming service.

Please note that, as the game has been selected by BT Sport, it will not be available on National League's streaming service in this country.

Live audio commentary is available on Latics Player, guiding you through the match.

For more information, visit the Latics Player page by clicking here.

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

As always, we will endeavour to ensure confirmation of the line-up is published as soon as possible on social media.

However, supporters should note that team sheets in the National League are not exchanged until an hour before kick-off. This is 15 minutes later than in the EFL and as a result, the line-up is likely to be published slightly later than in previous seasons.