Latics are still on the hunt for their first points of the Sky Bet League Two campaign and have another chance to put that right on Tuesday night (7:45pm KO).
Oldham head to Bristol Rovers in their third league outing of the campaign following late heartbreak at Valley Parade.
Keith Curle’s men looked to have secured a point late on courtesy of a Dylan Bahamboula strike but it wasn’t to be, with a 98th minute penalty winning it for the Bantams.
Form Guide
Rovers don’t come into the game in great form having lost all three of their competitive games so far this season.
Like Latics, they also found themselves on the wrong side of late drama in their last game. The game against Stevenage looked set to be heading for a goalless draw but strikes in the 88th and 96th minute saw Stevenage leave Bristol with all three points.
The Pirates have picked up from where they left off last season where their poor form saw them drop back into the fourth tier.
The club lost each of their last five League One outings and they will be desperate to put an end to their losing run when Latics come to town.
Head-to-Head
Meetings: 60
Latics wins: 20
Bristol Rovers wins: 25
Draws: 15
Scored - 79
Conceded - 83
It’s been a little while since the clubs last met.
It was during the League One campaign of 2017/18 where they last faced off against each other and it was Oldham who got the better of things; winning one and drawing the other.
At Boundary Park, a Craig Davies equaliser earned Latics a point whilst goals from Jack Byrne, Davies and Eoin Doyle saw them claim a 3-2 win in the reverse fixture.
Watch Out For
Brett Pitman will be hoping to be the man to fire in the goals for Rovers later in the season after suffering an injury early on.
Starting his career at AFC Bournemouth, Pitman impressed before moving to Bristol Rovers for a deal rumoured to be worth around £1M.
He would then reunite with Eddie Howe and the Cherries in 2012, In a loan deal that became a permanent one.
He was part of the side that saw Bournemouth promoted to the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history.
Stints at Ipswich Town, Portsmouth and Swindon Town followed before he made his move to the Memorial Stadium this summer.
In The Dugout
Joey Barton is the man in the dugout for the hosts.
The 38-year-old has been in charge of Bristol Rovers since February 2021 and unfortunately, he was unable to stop Rovers’ relegation to the fourth tier.
It is his second job in management since his retirement from playing. Previously he enjoyed a good spell with Fleetwood Town.
Barton also enjoyed a good playing career, most notably turning out for Manchester City and Newcastle United along with QPR, Marseille, Burnley and Rangers.
His talent also earned him an England cap which came when he replaced Frank Lampard during the second half of a 1-0 defeat to Spain at Old Trafford in February 2007.
Match Officials
The man in the middle is Sam Purkiss.
His last fixture in charge of Latics arrived in March 2021 as we won 2-1 at Boundary Park against Exeter City and he handed out three yellow cards.
He took charge of 33 games last campaign, handing out a total of 82 yellow cards and eight red cards.
He will be assisted by Abbas Khan and Alex James, with Robert Massey-Ellis as the Fourth Official.
Sky Bet Odds
Rovers are 10/11 favourites to claim their first win of the season.
Latics are priced at 11/4 to get up and running in the league whilst 5/2 is available for the draw.
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How To Follow The Game
Live match action on the £10 'match pass' is available on iFollow Latics with Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown who will be talking you through the match.
For more information, visit the iFollow Latics page by clicking here.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC