Latics are back at Boundary Park again this weekend as they welcome Mansfield Town for another crucial Sky Bet League Two game (3pm KO).
With five consecutive defeats for John Sheridan’s men, this game is of huge importance as Oldham look to give themselves ahead in the battle to avoid the drop.
Last time out, it was a disappointing 3-1 defeat against playoff hopefuls Sutton United on home turf.
Form Guide
The Stags come into this game on the back of a victory, but they did lose the two games that came before that.
However, those two defeats can be seen as blips when consulting the form book as prior to that they had gone 14 league games without defeat.
In the middle of that 14 game run in the league was an Emirates FA Cup run that saw them eventually fall to Sky Bet Championship side Middlesbrough courtesy of a cruel own goal in time added on at the end of the second period.
Mansfield’s 10th place position is a little bit misleading as they sit just two points away from a place in the play-offs with three games in hand on seventh-placed Swindon Town.
The Stags’ last six:
- Rochdale 0-1 Mansfield Town
- Port Vale 3-1 Mansfield Town
- Tranmere Rovers 3-2 Mansfield Town
- Mansfield Town 2-1 Exeter City
- Bradford City 0-2 Mansfield Town
- Newport County 1-1 Mansfield Town
Head-to-Head
Played: 66
Latics wins: 29
Mansfield wins: 19
Draws: 18
In the game at Field Mill earlier on in the campaign, the two clubs played out a goalless draw.
The last time that Oldham managed to get the better of their opposition was January 2020 at Boundary Park, it was a comfortable Tuesday evening for Latics.
First-half goals from Jonny Smith and Tom Hamer put the hosts in the ascendency and Gevaro Nepomuceno’s 58th minute strike added to the comfortable feeling.
Otis Khan was on hand to claw back a consolation goal for the Stags in the third minute of added time at the end of the game as it finished 3-1.
Watch Out For
Matty Longstaff is the key man and a catalyst for Mansfield’s impressive form.
Arriving on loan from Newcastle United, the signing seemed like a massive coup for Mansfield and, so far, he has not failed to live up to expectations.
In the six games that the young midfielder has played for Town, he has found the back of the net on an impressive three times.
He was absent due to injury in the Port Vale defeat and his return to the side for the Rochdale clash was a welcome one as he played the full 90 in the 1-0 win.
The ginger-haired sensation burst onto the scene for his parent club in a 1-0 win over Manchester United at St James’ Park.
Appearing in a two-man midfield with brother Sean, Matty scored the winning goal at the Gallowgate End with a cultured finish from the edge of the area and he was awarded the man of the match award to boot.
Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, he has found game time hard to come by in the Premier League for the Magpies but when he has been given the opportunity he has seldom looked out of place amongst the big boys.
Matty will provide a tough test for the Oldham midfield and he has shown that he has an eye for goal, so he could potentially trouble the backline.
In The Dugout
Nigel Clough is the man in the dugout for the visitors.
Son of the legendary Brian Clough, Nigel has also managed to make a name for himself in the management game.
The 56-year-old has had great success at Burton Albion whilst also taking charge at Derby County and Sheffield United.
He has been in charge at Field Mill since November 2020.
As a player, Clough represented Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sheffield Wednesday and Burton Albion and also represented the English national team on 14 occasions.
Match Officials
The official in the middle for the game is Benjamin Toner.
Toner last officiated a Latics game in September 2021 for our 4-0 away defeat against Leyton Orient. On that day, he handed out three yellow cards and zero red cards.
He's taken charge of 25 games, so far, this campaign, handing out a total of 71 yellow cards and three red cards.
Toner will be assisted by Declan Ford and Stephen Ward, with Ollie Williams as the Fourth Official.
Sky Bet Odds
Unsurprisingly given the form book, Mansfield are favourites for this game and are currently priced at 21/20 to take maximum points.
Latics are in desperate need of points and the bookies have them at 12/5 to claim all three.
12/5 is also the price 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 in the UK and overseas for supporters who can't attend in person, with Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown talking you through the match action due to the international break.
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.