Latics youth team, sponsored by the Safeguard Group, continued their fine form with a convincing 4-0 away victory against third-placed Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.
Two goals in either half was enough to seal the three points for the youngsters with goals coming from Callum Scullion, Devante Jacobs and Jordache Walters bagged a brace.
Walters struck his first midway through the first half after latching onto a superb through ball by Jacobs and he confidently slotted past the goalkeeper to put Latics ahead.
Just before the break, Scullion extended their lead after Jack Tuohy's excellent through ball found the onrushing youngster and he fired past the helpless goalkeeper.
Latics came out firing after the half time break and scored two goals in five minutes to kill off the game.
Walters robbed the central defender of the ball and smashed the ball in from 25 yards to make it three and Jacobs rounded off the scoring with a neatly taken penalty to secure the victory.
Youth team boss, Tony Philliskirk, who celebrates his 50th birthday today, said: "We were strong and could have added more goals. The goalkeeper didn't have a lot to do, but what he had to do, he did well.
"It was a similar performance to how we were playing at the start of the season when we were winning game after game. Not many teams go to Tranmere and win 4-0 and it was a really good performance.
"They were third in the league so it's credit to the lads to come away with the victory. Our last three away games have been Preston away, Walsall away and Tranmere away and we came away with three greats wins against the top sides so that's fantastic."
The youngsters head to Shropshire today to face Shrewsbury in the quarter final of a cup competition and the manager is hopeful his players can secure a place in the semi-finals.
"We have to maintain the levels that we have produced recently. Shrewsbury have really picked up as of late but we know that if we play like we did on Saturday then we will be more than a match for them," Philliskirk added.
"They play really good football and have strong and powerful players. We are in the quarter final now, so if we get a positive result then we are only two games away from a national final.
"There is a lot in it for the lads but we are under no illusions. It's going to be a tough game and we are going to have to match the level of performance from Saturday to get the right result."