Latics will hope to make it back-to-back wins when they travel to Gloucestershire to take on Cheltenham Town this evening (7pm KO).
Last time out, Oldham came out on top in a five-goal thriller that saw them complete the double over Newport County.
A third league win at Boundary Park this season means Latics are 14th in the league two table.
Form Guide
Cheltenham come into the game off the back of an FA Cup tie with Manchester City.
Town shocked everyone by taking the lead in the 59th minute, courtesy of Alfie May but they were unable to pull off a famous cup upset and went on to lose 3-1 with goals coming from Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres.
Despite the eventual defeat, the spirited display will no doubt enthuse the Robin who are yet to win a league game in 2021.
They have gone seven without a win in league two, a run that has seen them slip to 7th in the table.
The Robins’ last six:
- Cheltenham Town 1-3 Manchester City (FA Cup)
- Cheltenham Town 1-1 Newport County
- Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Cheltenham Town
- Cheltenham Town 2-1 Mansfield Town (After ET in the FA Cup)
- Colchester United 0-0 Cheltenham Town
- Cheltenham Town 1-1 Stevenage
Head-to-Head
Meetings: 17
Latics wins: 5
Cheltenham wins: 5
Draws: 7
Scored - 20
Conceded - 19
This is the second time this season that Latics have taken on Cheltenham Town.
Oldham got the better of the Robins at Boundary Park earlier on in the season despite falling behind on the half hour mark with former Latic Reuben Reid scoring the goal.
George Blackwood restored parity just four minutes later with Harry Clarke converting in the 85th minute to ensure three big points for Harry Kewell’s men.
Team News
In terms of selection Head Coach Harry Kewell still has Zak Dearnley out in the short-term due to injury.
A decision needs to be made again on which loanee will miss out with five only allowed in the matchday squad, with Lawlor looking to make a return.
George Blackwood's recovery is going well but is still absent from full training so is not match fit.
Interesting Info
- P8 - W1, D5, L2, Scored 8 & Conceded 11 away from home.
- The Robins knocked Latics out of the cup twice in 2002 and 2008.
- The only win at Whaddon Road was in 2006.
- Losing the first ever match at Whaddon Road (cup game in 2002), and the most recent (Jan 2002, 3-0 in League Two). In between going unbeaten in six (W1 D5).
- Now the second best in League Two after Forest Green’s win on Saturday. (W6 D3 L2).
- And is the joint second best ever away record after 11 matches. Had 23 points by this stage in 2002-2003, and 21 points in 1929-30 (assuming three points were for a win).
- Latics are still one win in five, though that was Saturday. Also two wins in six, both coming against Newport.
- Cheltenham are without a league win in seven (D5, L2). Their last win was 5-3 against Exeter on December 5th.
- But since scoring five against Exeter, they’ve scored only three in the seven games since, conceding seven.
- They’re the 9th best team at home in League Two (W5, D4, L3, Scored 18 & Conceded 13). But just one home win in five (W1 D3 L1).
Watch Out For
Alfie May was on hand to hit home for the Robins against Manchester City and Latics will have to be careful he doesn’t do the same at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.
May started his career with Billericay in non-league and has also played for a number of clubs further down the footballing pyramid before being awarded with his first professional contract at Doncaster Rovers in January 2017.
The versatile attacker scored 23 goals in 116 games for Rovers before joining the Robins in January 2020 for an undisclosed fee.
May has scored 14 goals since making the move to the Jonny-Rocks stadium.
Another thing Latics will have to watch out for is the long throws that Ben Tozer has in his locker.
The former Newcastle United man’s throws were a constant thorn in the side of Manchester City and was a big factor in the opening goal of the tie.
Familiar Face
Cheltenham striker Reuben Reid spent a season and a half at Boundary Park.
Reid started at Plymouth Argyle and had loan spells with Kidderminster Harriers, Rochdale, Torquay United, Wycombe Wanderers and Brentford before moving permanent moves to Rotherham United and then West Bromwich Albion.
Whilst at Baggies, Reid was sent out on loan to Peterborough United and Walsall before his move to join Oldham Athletic in January 2011.
He scored two goals in the second half of the 2010/11 season for Latics and had enjoyed a strong start to the following campaign, but injury would frustrate the forward and he was eventually released at the end of the 2011/12 season.
Since leaving Boundary Park, he has played for Yeovil Town, Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City and Forest Green Rovers before joining Cheltenham Town in June 2019 and has since returned to Yeovil Town until the end of the current season.
In The Dugout
Michael Duff is the man in the dugout for the Robins.
Duff made over 300 appearances in his time as a player with Cheltenham Town before moving on to Burnley where he would play in the Premier League.
The 42-year-old has had managerial roles in the academy setup at Burnley, but Cheltenham Town is his first professional job as manager. He was appointed boss in September 2018 and has since been given an extended contract.
Stadium
The Jonny-Rocks Stadium (Whaddon Road)
Capacity: 7,066
Opened: 1927
Record attendance: 8,326 (v Reading 1956)
Match Officials
Tonight's referee is Carl Brook.
Originally from Scotland he has taken charge of 16 games this season, handing out 55 bookings and two red cards.
This will be his first fixture involving Latics during this campaign after being promoted from the National League last season.
He will be assisted by Kevin Morris and James Vallance with the Fourth Official being Robert Lewis.
Sky Bet Odds
The Robins are 17/20 favourites to pick up their first league win of the year and Latics are 14/5 to complete the double.
The draw is 13/5.
A repeat of Oldham’s 2-1 win from earlier in the season is 11/1.
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How To Follow The Game
Because the game is classed as behind-closed-doors, supporters can tune into a live match stream with commentary available for all subscribers on iFollow Latics, as Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown you through the action.
This match is available as a live stream for the fee of £10 by clicking here.
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As a result iFollow generates one of the only revenue streams available to clubs through these financial challenges.
Piracy - and illegal streaming of matches - does not only carry the risk of potential criminal action, but also has a greater financial impact on clubs while supporters are unable to attend matches.
The EFL's campaign would like to not only convey the message that piracy is immoral and illegal, but that it is also financially damaging club's across the divisions.
For more information on the campaign and iFollow, click here.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.