Interim boss Steve Thompson will take charge of his first fixture at Boundary Park as Oldham Athletic host York City.
An emphatic 3-0 defeat to promotion hopefuls Bromley at the weekend meant Oldham’s wait for a second Vanarama National League win has now reached seven games since their 5-1 triumph over Aldershot Town in August.
Latics now find themselves in the drop zone for the first time this season, and Steve Thompson will hope it will be the last for his side with a win necessary against fellow National League strugglers York.
Goal difference is what separates the two sides playing at Boundary Park on Tuesday evening, who both have identical records heading into the tenth fixture of the campaign.
York will have happier memories of the last round of games after securing their first victory of the season following a comfortable 3-0 win over bottom side Southend United, albeit with the visitors finishing the game with nine men on the pitch.
The Opposition
Before the win on Saturday York went their first eight fixtures without a win whilst picking up three consecutive points against Altrincham, Aldershot, and Dorking Wanderers before picking up four points in their last two outings.
20-year-old fullback Thierry Latty-Fairweather was a threat all afternoon on the left-hand side for York and produced a peach of a strike to put the hosts in front just before the half hour mark.
Meanwhile wide forward Maziar Kouhyar netted his second strike of the campaign, clinically dispatching a smooth counterattack with a neat first-time finish, before minutes later Zanda Siziba latched onto a delicious cross from top scorer Dipo Akinyemi to seal the three points.
A good start then under new boss Neal Ardley whose only been in the job for 13 days, a draw and a win in the first two would have certainly lifted spirits in the dressing room, although Ardley and new assistant Neil Cox will recognise there is still plenty of work to be done.
Before the appointment York were struggling to get points on the board, not even averaging half a point per game (0.4) before Ardley came in who since has pulled that right up to two points a game.
The new men in charge will also surely look to focus on defensive improvement with York having conceded at least twice on six occasions from their first nine fixtures, whilst grabbing their only clean sheet so far last time out in the win against Southend.
That can be hugely contributed to the work of Ryan Whitley in the York goal who got down to make two smart stops to deny the visitors, particularly the first where he adjusted superbly to deny a deflected strike.
It has been a strong foundation to build from for Ardley and his York side, scoring five times which was more than they managed in their previous three fixtures before his arrival, whilst securing an important clean sheet at the other end to mark a new chapter at the club.
York will hope to have better success against Oldham this season, after only securing a point against Latics across both meetings in the 2022/23 campaign, whilst midfielder Olly Dyson will look for deja vu as he scored against Latics in the reverse fixture last season.
Key Threat
Top scorer Akinyemi must be a point for concern for interim Latics boss Thompson who a lot of the good play from York at the weekend went through. Whilst also netting four times, he has also played every single minute of National League football available this campaign, proving just how crucial he has been.
The 26-year-old is a physical and quick forward who has the tendency to put defenders under relentless pressure in pursuit of goals, much like the effort he put in just after the hour mark before blazing his strike over from a tight angle.
He also put on show his all-round game, on occasion dropping in to hold up play, bringing his teammates into the action or even drifting wide to provide width, the Oldham backline will have a handful to deal with.
His creative ability was also there to see at the weekend, and though he didn’t put his name on the scoresheet this time around, two assists certainly helped his side secure all three points.
Akinyemi could hardly take credit for the first strike from Fairweather, after setting the fullback for a long-range rocket, but he can certainly for the third of the afternoon, angling a delightful outside of the foot cross to find Siziba in the box.
Another top National League forward will be faced by Latic’s defensive line, who were able to keep Bromley’s potent Michael Cheek at bay although conceding three In Thompson’s first fixture in the hot seat, Akinyemi will provide yet another problem as both sides look to build momentum.
In the hot seat
In just under two weeks since Ardley’s appointment at the York Community Stadium, it has been a good beginning to the new chapter in his experienced managerial career, with York now being his fourth job in the hot seat.
He has shown improvement in every job since he began at AFC Wimbledon back in October 2012, where he procured almost 1.3 points per game in 326 games as boss.
His most notable achievement in his first role was securing promotion from League Two to League One at the end of the 2015/16 season where his side beat Plymouth Argyle by two goals to nil at Wembley.
Ardley then following two full seasons keeping Wimbledon in League One moved on in November 2018 to League Two side Notts County, where he improved his points per game to almost 1.5.
At the club he reached the cusp of being in charge for a century of fixtures (97), but in that time agonisingly missed out on promotion, losing out in the playoff final in 2020 to Harrogate Town by a 3-1 scoreline.
In his following role arguably came his most successful span as a manager. Again, chasing a challenge, he was appointed as Solihull Moors boss in July 2021 where he immediately produced a fine season.
Ardley secured a third placed finish in the 2021/22 campaign in the National League, before almost providing a near perfect start to life at Solihull, spearheading his side to the play-off final where a heartbreaking extra-time winner for Grimsby Town saw Ardley once again lose out at the final hurdle.
He constructed an excellent team that season, who had the least losses (7) in the National League and were a highly balanced side at both ends of the pitch, and although it followed with a difficult second season, York provides yet another challenge for the Englishman.
He has produced a solid start at his new home, but a first trip as boss awaits on Tuesday evening where he will hope he can lead his side to consecutive victories to help continue their impressive new beginning.
Match Officials
The referee will be David McNamara, with assistant referees being Jonathan Chadwick and Andrew Daniels. The fourth official is Christopher Porter.
Match coverage and information
Live audio commentary is available on Latics Player, guiding you through the match.
For more information, visit the Latics Player page by clicking here.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC
As this game is not being played within the blocked broadcast hours stipulated by UEFA, live streaming will be available through National League TV for supporters in the UK and overseas.
Matchday passes are available for £9.50, with further details here.
As always, we will endeavour to ensure confirmation of the line-up is published as soon as possible on social media.
However, supporters should note that team sheets in the National League are not exchanged until an hour before kick-off. This is 15 minutes later than in the EFL and as a result, the line-up is likely to be published slightly later than in previous seasons.