Throughout the season we have been working through our A-Z of players in the matchday programme. Next to be mentioned is somebody who represented the club on the pitch as well as in the dugout.
Tommy Wright had multiple spells at Latics, he initially joined in 1986 making over a century of appearances for Oldham when he was the first cohort of players to join from Leeds United and later returned in 1997, before he became part of the backroom staff at Boundary Park on numerous occasions.
The winger came through the youth ranks at Leeds in 1982 after scout John Barr found him playing for St Columas School Dunfermline. He went onto appear 92 times for the Whites and he found the back of the net on 28 occasions under Eddie Gray’s reign.
Wright put pen-to-paper on deal with Latics for £80,000 and he became a popular figure amongst the Oldham faithful. Whilst at Latics, he played alongside several old teammates, including Denis Irwin, Andy Linighan and Andy Ritchie. In his first playing spell with the club, he made 112 league appearances and scored 23 goals before Leicester City bought him for £300,000 in 1989.
He spent four years with the Foxes, and he would go onto make the most appearances at Leicester than he did at any other club during his career. Wright was Leicester’s top scorer in his final season at Filbert Street.
After his time with the midlands club, he joined Middlesbrough and Bradford City which also turned out to be good spells for the wide man. In May 1997, he returned to Oldham on a monthly contract and went onto make another 12 league appearances.
Following this, Wright has three shorts spells at St Johnstone, Livingston and Doncaster Rovers before making the move into coaching.
Now 54, he became John Sheridan’s assistant manager at the club and in a spell that saw Latics reach the League One play-offs, but suffered defeat against Blackpool in the semi-finals.
To add to this, Lee Johnson appointed Wright as his assistant at Oldham before they both left to join Barnsley. And his latest spell at the club was back in 2017, as he came back to help John Sheridan once more.
Wright has also held coaching roles with 'Shez' at Chesterfield and Carlisle United, but is now currently with Swindon Town and another former Oldham Athletic player in management, being a part of Richie Wellens' coaching team.
Honourable mentions: Reece Wabara, Tommy Walker, Mark Ward, Paul Warhurst, Paul Warne, Richie Wellens, James Wesolowksi, Danny Whitaker, Aidy White, Steve Whitehall, Maurice Whittle, Clyde Wijnhard, Pete Wild (coach/manager), Brian Wilson, James Wilson, Carl Winchester, Dean Windass, Matthew Wolfenden, Ian Wood, George Woodger, Rodger Wylde.
The named players above will also feature more as part of the 125 anniversary next season.