Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

Belgian First Division The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

Cercle Brugge Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging () is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, having previously spent several years in the Belgian Second Divisio ...

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at ...

Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...

Danny Whitaker Daniel Phillip Whitaker (born 14 November 1980) is an English former professional football player and manager who was recently the player-manager of club Macclesfield. A former Manchester United F.C., Manchester United Manchester United F.C. ...

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

Demar Phillips Demar Constantine Phillips (born 23 September 1983) is a Jamaican Association football, footballer who plays as a left wingback. Early life Demar Phillips was born on 23 September 1983 in a small town in the district of Saint Thomas Parish, Ja ...

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...

John Oster John Morgan Oster (born 8 December 1978) is a football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder. Oster was a product of the youth team at Grimsby Town where he was added to the first team squad in 1994, however he didn't ...

Chris O'Grady Christopher James O'Grady (born 25 January 1986) is an English footballer striker who plays for Grantham Town. O'Grady notably played professionally for Leicester City, Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic, Rochdale, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsl ...

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

Lewis Alessandra Lewis Peter Alessandra (born 8 February 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for South Shields. He has played in the English Football League for Oldham Athletic, Morecambe, Plymouth Argyle, Rochdale, Yor ...

Holker Street Holker Street ( known as the SO Legal Stadium for sponsorship purposes), is a sports stadium in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. As well as being a football ground, it has also been used for motorcycle speedway.Dale Stephens pulled Oldham back to 2–1 in the 17th minute, though Jason Walker scored his second of the game as Oldham lost their first match of the pre-season. Oldham's final pre-season friendly was on 2 August versus

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

.

Omar Daley Omar Daley (born 25 April 1981) is a Jamaican footballer. He plays as a winger. He has also played for the Jamaica national team winning more than 50 caps. Daley was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He has played for Portmore United in his homeland ...

of Bradford City scored the only goal of the game, giving Bradford City a 1–0 victory over Oldham in both clubs's final pre-season games.

League One

Oldham was at home to face

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

for their first league game of the 2008–09 season. Oldham found themselves down within 1–3 early into the second half. After

Andy Liddell Andrew Mark Liddell (born 28 June 1973) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Barnsley, Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United. Born in England, he played for the Scotland U21 nati ...

scored from a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

in the 74th minute,

Lewis Alessandra Lewis Peter Alessandra (born 8 February 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for South Shields. He has played in the English Football League for Oldham Athletic, Morecambe, Plymouth Argyle, Rochdale, Yor ...

and Chris Taylor scored twice in the final ten minutes to earn Oldham a 4–3 victory after being down by two goals. In mid-August, Oldham traveled to

Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...

to face

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

. Following a 0–0 halftime draw, Chris Taylor scored after a little more than five minutes following the restart. His second came in the 65th minute when he scored from a curler from 18 yards out from goal—giving Oldham 2–0 victory. Following a 2–0 victory over Leeds, Oldham was back at

Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...

to face

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

.

Lee Hughes Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Stourport Swifts. A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. ...

would give Oldham their first of the game shortly before halftime whistle. Shortly after the restart, Hughes would score his second of the game before netting his third in the 62nd minute.

Danny Whitaker Daniel Phillip Whitaker (born 14 November 1980) is an English former professional football player and manager who was recently the player-manager of club Macclesfield. A former Manchester United F.C., Manchester United Manchester United F.C. ...

added Oldham's fourth of the game in the 85th minute for a 4–0 victory, sending Oldham to top of the table. After an impressive 4–0 rout of Cheltenham Town, Oldham was set to face middle-of-the-table

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

at

Weston Homes Community Stadium Colchester Community Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the JobServe Community Stadium, is a association football, football stadium in Colchester, England. It is the home of Colchester United F.C., Colchester United Football Club. It has ...

.

Mark Yeates Mark Stephen Anthony Yeates (born 11 January 1985) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Bamber Bridge. Yeates began his career with Tottenham Hotspur but failed to make the transition to the first team, spending time ...

gave the home side a 1–0 lead heading into the break, before grabbing his second in the 63rd minute. But in less than 60 seconds, Chris Taylor scored his 4th of the season to bring Oldham back to 2–1 down before Deane Smalley grabbed a goal shortly before full-time—giving Oldham a 2–2 draw. Oldham dropped to second place in League One following the 2–2 draw to start September, and was again on the road as they faced

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...

. The only goal came in the 35th minute, when

Reuben Hazell Reuben Daniel Hazell (born 24 April 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Hazell started his career as a youth player with Aston Villa before playing for Tranmere Rovers, Torquay United, Kidde ...

headed in a goal after a cross from

Neal Eardley Neal James Eardley (born 6 November 1988) is a former Wales international footballer who last played for Cymru Premier champions Connah’s Quay Nomads. He represented Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before winning the fir ...

. The game was played at a quick pace for most of the day as a total of 10 yellow cards were shown, but Oldham held out for a 1–0 win. On 13 September, Oldham was back at home to face 2007–08

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

champions,

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...

. Lee Hughes didn't wait long to get the scoring started as he gave Oldham a 1–0 lead by scoring in the 8th minute. Despite seven shots on target, MK Dons could not get a goal past goalkeeper

Mark Crossley Mark Geoffrey Crossley (born 16 June 1969) is a football coach and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1988 until 2011 and he has previously played for numerous clubs in England's top flight, notably for Notti ...

before

Mark Allott Mark Stephen Allott (born 3 October 1977) is an English former footballer. Career Oldham Athletic Allott initially came through the youth ranks and was highly rated as a centre forward, scoring on his debut as a substitute in a defeat agai ...

grabbed Oldham's second and final goal in the 95th minute. Oldham battled

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...

on 20 September for their seventh league game of the season. Lee Hughes and Chris Taylor gave Oldham a solid 2–0 lead heading into the halftime break. Hartlepool battled back hard in the opening moments of the second half, scoring three times in first ten minutes of the second half with goals from

Andy Monkhouse Andrew William Monkhouse (born 23 October 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He has previously played for Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Hartlepool United, Bristol Rovers, Grimsby Town, Alfreton Town an ...

,

Antony Sweeney Antony Thomas Sweeney (born 5 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played in the Football League for Hartlepool United and Carlisle United. He is a first team coach at Hartlepool United. ...

, and

Joel Porter Joel William Porter (born 25 December 1978) is an Australian football (soccer) player. Club career Australia Before joining Hartlepool United, Porter had previously played for Croydon Kings, West Adelaide, Melbourne Knights FC and Sydney Olymp ...

. In the 58th minute, Taylor scored Oldham's third of the game as the two teams finished the game with a 3–3 draw. Again at home, Oldham faced off against 15th placed local rivals

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

. Ian Craney scored his second in five games, giving the visitors an early 1–0 lead in the 29th minute. An

Andy Liddell Andrew Mark Liddell (born 28 June 1973) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Barnsley, Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United. Born in England, he played for the Scotland U21 nati ...

free kick early in the second half would be enough, as the game ended with a 1–1 draw. The Latics began the month of October in first place, where they had remained for most of the season. Oldham played a Friday night match versus local rival

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

, who sat in 7th place at the time. Oldham controlled the first half of the match, as an Andy Liddell goal in the 24th minute gave them a 1–0 halftime lead. However, Stockport dominated the second half, scoring three goals en route to giving Oldham their first defeat of the season. An 82nd-minute goal from Stockport defender

Michael Raynes Michael Bernard Raynes (born 15 October 1987) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Stockport Town. Career Born in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, Raynes began his career as a trainee at Stockport Count ...

secured the victory, as the Hatters defeated Oldham 3–1. After dropping to third place, Oldham looked to regain the top spot in the league versus

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...

. Lee Hughes got the action started quickly, scoring his fourth goal in the fifth minute of the game. Oldham continued their early pressure against the Hereford defence, which included Hughes earning Oldham a penalty kick after he was taken down in the area by Frenchman

Bruno Ngotty Bruno Ngotty (born 10 June 1971) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back from 1988 until 2008, however he came out of retirement briefly in 2011. As well as his native country he has played in the top flight divi ...

—with Andy Liddell converting on the penalty to give Oldham a 2–0 advantage.

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

loaned defender Daniel Jones netted in the 36th minute for the Latics, giving the home side a 3–0 lead at the halftime break. Stephen O'Leary picked up a yellow card in the 81st minute for taking down Jones with a bad challenge, and was sent off only a minute later, forcing Hereford to play out the final minutes with only ten men. Danny Whitaker took advantage of the sending off, netting the final goal in the 90th. Oldham played their third game of the month on 18 October against

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

. A lackluster first half of action led to scoreless action until the 54th minute, when a

Steve Howard Steven John Howard (born 10 May 1976) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Howard was usually cited as a typical target man and renowned for his aerial strength. Club career Early career Howard began his career at non- ...

header gave the visitors a 1–0 lead. Danny Whitaker equalised a quarter-hour later, earning a 1–1 draw as Oldham maintained an unbeaten home record. Three days later, Oldham traveled to Memorial Stadium to face

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

. A solid attack was stifled by Rovers goalkeeper

Steve Phillips Stephen Francis Phillips (born May 18, 1963) is an American baseball analyst and former baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003. He worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN from 2005 until h ...

, who stopped all seven shots that were on target.

Rickie Lambert Rickie Lee Lambert (born 16 February 1982) is an English former professional footballer. During his career, he played as a striker, before retiring in 2017. He won a number of personal awards, including two league Golden Boots. Lambert was know ...

netted his 11th goal of the season in the 16th minute, which led the way to a

Chris Lines Christopher John Lines (born 30 November 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Bath City. Lines turned professional at Bristol Rovers, and made his first team debut in January 2006. He played in the 20 ...

goal in the 35th minute. Phillips and Oldham's Mark Crossley both kept out the opposition for the remainder of the match, as Oldham dropped their second consecutive away match. For their second straight away match, Oldham faced

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

who sat in 18th place in League One. Oldham looked to be in control in the first 20 minutes of the match, putting pressure on Swindon's net without any success. Shortly after their barrage on the goal, defender Sean Morrison scored for Swindon. A handball in the penalty area by Lee Hughes gave Swindon the opportunity to net another in the 34th minute, which was converted by Jack Smith to double Swindon's lead. The ball was bogged down in midfielder for second half, as neither side put pressure on goal—letting Swindon wrap up their third home victory of the season. A Lewis Alessandra assured that Oldham would end October on a high note, as the striker scored his first

hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

in a 3–0 victory over

Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...

. The 19-year-old led Oldham struck first in the 26th, before quickly earning his hat trick in the second half with goals in the 50th and 60th minutes. Oldham's 3–0 win over the Iron was Scunthorpe's first loss since 16 October, and helped the Latics move to 4th place in the league to end October. After struggling through October, Oldham started November at home against

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

who was coming off consecutive scoreless draws. It appeared it could have been three consecutive scoreless matches for Yeovil when the two teams were left without goals at halftime. Aaron Brown capitalised from a deep free kick, ending his side's goal drought to give the visitors a 1–0 lead. Ex-Oldham player

Paul Warne Paul Warne (born 8 May 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current Head Coach of EFL League One club Derby County. Playing career Warne was born in Norwich, Norfolk and is a ...

grabbed another goal for the Glovers three minutes later from hesitant play by Neal Eardley. Oldham was unable to get a ball past goalkeeper

Asmir Begović Asmir Begović (; born 20 June 1987) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Everton. Begović started his professional career with English club Portsmouth, signing for them in the summer of 2003. After a sequen ...

, who secured a 2–0 victory for Yeovil and gave the Latics their first home loss since March 2008. After a 2–2 draw in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, the Latics faced

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

on 15 November. Oldham had several chances in the first half including a shot by Lee Hughes which was an apparent early goal, though he was flagged by the official for offsides. With a quarter of an hour left in the match, Hughes was cut down in the box to give Andy Liddell a chance to give the Latics a lead. Liddell easily converted on the spot-kick, sending

Frank Fielding Francis David Fielding (born 4 April 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Stoke City. He began his career at Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. He spent time on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton T ...

the wrong way. Despite the 1–0 victory, the game ended on a bad note as Hughes was sent off with his second yellow card. At

Roots Hall A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

,

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

was just once beaten in their previous thirteen home games. James Walker tried to help him side continue the streak as he smashed the ball past Mark Crossley from

point-blank range Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...

for a 1–0 Southend advantage. Chris Taylor pulled Oldham back on level terms with a 67th-minute header, before Hughes scored his seventh of the season to give Oldham a 2–1 victory. Three days later, Oldham faced off against

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

at home. Mark Allott started the scoring early, grabbing an early 1–0 lead for Oldham from a deflected shot.

Michael Ricketts Michael Barrington Ricketts (born 4 December 1978) is an English former footballer. He played as a striker and was capped once by England, in a friendly against the Netherlands in 2002. Ricketts had a 14-year career which saw him play for W ...

, a former Oldham striker, struck back in 23rd minute with a goal before Alex Nicholls gave the visitors a 2–1 advantage. Shortly before the halftime whistle, Hughes scored his 8th goal of the season which put the two sides on level terms at the break. With the game looking like a sure draw, Hughes grabbed another goal in the 89th minute as Oldham moved up to 4th place to end November. To begin the final month of 2008, Oldham was at home to play

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...

. Oldham started the match quickly when

Adam Virgo Adam John Virgo (born 25 January 1983) is a former professional footballer, who now works as a pundit and commentator. Playing career Early career From the age of seven Virgo played for the St. Aubyns Preparatory School football team. At 13 h ...

brought down Chris Taylor in the penalty box, allowing Andy Liddell to convert a spot-kick for a 1–0 Latics advantage in the 9th minute. However,

Steven Thomson Steven John Thomson (born 23 January 1978) is a Scottish footballer who last played for Conference South side Dover Athletic. Club career Thomson, a midfielder, previously played for English clubs Crystal Palace, Peterborough United, Brighton ...

slid a ball past the Oldham defence to

Glenn Murray Glenn Murray (born 25 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer and football pundit who played as a striker. His career spanned 19 years from 2002 until 2021. Best known for his two spells with Brighton & Hove Albion, Murra ...

who fired a shot into the roof of the net, putting the Seagulls back level at 1–1. Adam Virgo, who received a yellow card for his tackle of Taylor, received a second in the 48th minute and was sent off. Despite having only ten men, the Brighton defence frustrated the Latics, holding on for a 1–1 draw. A week later, the Latics traveled to face

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

at

London Road Stadium London Road, currently known as the Weston Homes Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Peterborough, England. The stadium is in Fletton, south of the River Nene. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is t ...

. This game was again off to a quick start, however, it was the opposition who struck first. A shot from

Aaron McLean Aaron McLean (born 25 May 1983) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker. At international level he gained five caps for the England C team during his time in the non-league. McLean began his senior career with Leyt ...

in the 12th minute deflected off Latics defender

Stefan Stam Stefan Stam (born 14 September 1979) is a former Dutch footballer who played as a centre back. His previous clubs include AZ, PSV, Eindhoven, AFC, Oldham Athletic, Yeovil Town, Hereford United, FC Den Bosch and Katwijk. Life and career Stam w ...

, giving Peterborough a 1–0 lead. Eight minutes before the halftime break, McLean extended the lead with another goal with a rebound from a spot-kick, shortly after having another spot-kick saved by Oldham goalkeeper

Greg Fleming Greg William Edward Fleming (born 27 September 1986) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Annan Athletic. He has previously played for Livingston, Gretna, Oldham Athletic, Dunfermline Athletic, Galway United, ...

. After several comebacks throughout the season, Oldham again showed their intentions when Lee Hughes poked the ball into the opposition's net for a 2–1 halftime lead for Peterborough. Just before the hour mark, Hughes again scored when he put a loose ball into the net. With several more chances for both sides, the game ended with a 2–2 draw. After two consecutive draws, Oldham was set to face

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

. Despite early efforts from Danny Whitaker and

Darren Byfield Darren Asherton Byfield (born 29 September 1976) is a former professional footballer. He is currently a coach of Crawley Town. Byfield won six caps for Jamaica in 2003, and has scored 110 goals in 484 appearances across all domestic competitions ...

, Oldham was unable to net an early goal. A Leyton Orient goal looked possible when Adam Chambers got a rebound twelve yards out, but the midfielder sent the ball high over the net. After Byfield was pulled down in the penalty area by

Tamika Mkandawire Tamika Paul Mkandawire (born 28 May 1983) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder or defender (association football), defender. Born in Malawi, he made two appearances for the England C national footb ...

, Andy Liddell struck his 8th goal of the season via a penalty kick for a 1–0 halftime advantage. Near the midway point of the second half, Greg Fleming gave Orient a chance to get back on level terms when he fouled

Ryan Jarvis Ryan Robert Jarvis (born 11 July 1986) is an English footballer who plays for side Leiston, where he plays as a midfielder. Club career Norwich City Born in Fakenham, Norfolk, Jarvis became Norwich City's youngest ever first-team player with ...

in the box. Fleming saved the penalty, but Jason Demetriou scored from a rebound, earning Leyton Orient a 1–1 draw—Oldham's third consecutive. Oldham was away to face

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

under new manager Gudjon Thordarson on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

. Despite struggling with an illness just days before the match, Darren Byfield was named to the starting lineup. Just before the hour mark in the match, Byfield scored his first for the club from a through back from

Kelvin Lomax Kelvin Lomax, or Kelvin Trippier, (born 12 November 1986) is an English footballer. He plays as a defender. He started his career in the youth team at Oldham Athletic before working his way through to the first team. He went on loan spells with ...

. The win was secured when Lee Hughes curled a ball past

Stuart Tomlinson Stuart Charles Tomlinson (born 22 May 1985) is an English former professional wrestler and professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. As a footballer, Tomlinson progressed from the Crewe Alexandra youth team to turn professional in 200 ...

, before Hughes grabbed another five minutes before the final whistle for a 3–0 win. Two days after the Boxing Day victory, Oldham faced off against

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

for the final match of 2008. Terrific play from Carlisle goalkeeper Tim Krul kept Oldham out of goal, despite giving the Latics nineteen

corner Corner may refer to: People *Corner (surname) *House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect) Places *Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States *Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia *Corner River, a tributary of ...

s. Neither side had an attacking threat until 17 minutes in when a

Reuben Hazell Reuben Daniel Hazell (born 24 April 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Hazell started his career as a youth player with Aston Villa before playing for Tranmere Rovers, Torquay United, Kidde ...

header forced Krul into a saved shot. With nineteen total shots for the Latics, manager John Sheridan was surprised when the game ended in a scoreless draw.

FA Cup

In the first round of the

2008–09 FA Cup The 2008–09 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 128th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. A record 762 clubs were accepted for the competition; one club, South Nor ...

, Oldham was paired against League One side

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

. Five minutes into the opening half, Scott Murray for Cheltenham opened the scoring with a strike, getting past goalkeeper Mark Crossley. The Robins gained a 2–0 halftime advantage when

Lloyd Owusu Lloyd Magnus Owusu (born 12 December 1976) is a retired professional footballer who last played for Hakoah Sydney City East in the NSW State League Division One, Sydney, Australia. After a move from non-League Slough Town, his career took off at ...

earned and converted a penalty kick, getting it past the fingertips of Crossley. The Latics got a goal back when Chris Taylor's free kick was deflected by Cheltenham goalkeeper

Shane Higgs Shane Peter Higgs (born 13 May 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made 306 appearances in the Football League and Football Conference between 1996 and 2012, most notably spending ten years at Chelte ...

, with the rebound falling immediately back to Taylor. In the 76th minute, Danny Whitaker equalised the game at 2–2 when a deflected shot crept into the corner of the net. A late robins shot from substitute Damian Spencer hit the post at the end of the match, but Oldham held on for a draw—forcing a replay at Boundary Park. In the replay, an early 22nd minute shot from

Lewis Montrose Lewis Robert Egerton Montrose (born 17 November 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder. He last played for club Kidderminster Harriers. He has played in the English Football League for Cheltenham Town, Ch ...

proved enough for Cheltenham to advance to the second round, and knock out Oldham for the fourth time in FA Cup history. Despite 17 shots to Cheltenham's three, Oldham could not muster a goal against

Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to: Sportsmen *Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State * Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds *Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...

. Shortly before the halftime break, Oldham was dealt a blow when Deane Smalley picked up an injury—giving

Matthew Wolfenden Matthew Wolfenden (born 5 May 1980) is an English actor best known for his role as David Metcalfe in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Wolfenden was born in Norwood Green, West Yorkshire. He was educated at Brighouse High Scho ...

his first senior appearance of the season. Shortly before the final whistle, Kieran Lee almost equalised with a diving header, but the ball rolled past the far post.

Carling Cup

Oldham's 2008–09 Carling Cup campaign began at near neighbours

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. Craig Davies picked up his first red card of the season in the 45th minute following a clash with

Nathan Stanton Nathan Stanton (born 4 May 1981) is an English former professional footballer who is currently kit manager at former team Scunthorpe United. In his 17-year-long playing career, Stanton spent most of his career with his first club Scunthorpe Uni ...

. Though Rochdale had a one-man advantage for the second half, the game was still level at 0–0 following regular time and

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

.

Neal Eardley Neal James Eardley (born 6 November 1988) is a former Wales international footballer who last played for Cymru Premier champions Connah’s Quay Nomads. He represented Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before winning the fir ...

, Chris Taylor, and

Danny Whitaker Daniel Phillip Whitaker (born 14 November 1980) is an English former professional football player and manager who was recently the player-manager of club Macclesfield. A former Manchester United F.C., Manchester United Manchester United F.C. ...

converted on penalties to put Oldham up 3–1 before

Lee Hughes Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Stourport Swifts. A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. ...

scored the fourth to give Oldham the victory over Rochdale. For their second game, the Latics were once again away—this time to

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

at

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...

, and

Greg Fleming Greg William Edward Fleming (born 27 September 1986) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Annan Athletic. He has previously played for Livingston, Gretna, Oldham Athletic, Dunfermline Athletic, Galway United, ...

made his debut for the club in goal. The visitors found themselves down 1–0 early to Burnley after a

Chris McCann Christopher John McCann (born 21 July 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Shamrock Rovers. A graduate of the youth system at Home Farm, McCann joined Burnley as a teenager, making his first team debut in 2005. He went on to ...

goal in the 12th minute. After just over an hour played,

Martin Paterson Martin Andrew Paterson (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional footballer and assistant head coach of club Barnsley. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he played as a forward he began his career with Stoke City, making his senior debut in April 200 ...

extended Burnley's lead to 2–0, before getting another in the 79th to secure a 3–0 victory.

Johnstone's Paint Trophy

Oldham faced

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

in the first round of the 2008–09 Johnstone's Paint Trophy. Though both sides had numerous chances to take the lead in the first half, the two sides were scoreless at the halftime break. A little over ten minutes after the restart,

Danny Whitaker Daniel Phillip Whitaker (born 14 November 1980) is an English former professional football player and manager who was recently the player-manager of club Macclesfield. A former Manchester United F.C., Manchester United Manchester United F.C. ...

gave Oldham a 1–0 lead in the 56th minute before Stewart Drummond equalised for Morecambe in the 65th. The two teams ended regular time level at 1–1, and after neither side could get a winning goal, they went into a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

. Following

Lewis Alessandra Lewis Peter Alessandra (born 8 February 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for South Shields. He has played in the English Football League for Oldham Athletic, Morecambe, Plymouth Argyle, Rochdale, Yor ...

's miss in " sudden death", Andy Parrish sent Oldham goalkeeper

Greg Fleming Greg William Edward Fleming (born 27 September 1986) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Annan Athletic. He has previously played for Livingston, Gretna, Oldham Athletic, Dunfermline Athletic, Galway United, ...

the wrong way to give Morcambe a victory.

Squad statistics

Transfers

In

Out

Loan in

Loan out

Awards

League One Team of the Week

The following Oldham Athletic players have appeared on the official

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

team of the week. * 18 August 2008: Chris Taylor,

Reuben Hazell Reuben Daniel Hazell (born 24 April 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Hazell started his career as a youth player with Aston Villa before playing for Tranmere Rovers, Torquay United, Kidde ...

* 26 August 2008:

Lee Hughes Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Stourport Swifts. A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. ...

* 16 September 2008:

Mark Crossley Mark Geoffrey Crossley (born 16 June 1969) is a football coach and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1988 until 2011 and he has previously played for numerous clubs in England's top flight, notably for Notti ...

* 6 October 2008: Chris Taylor * 13 October 2008:

Andy Liddell Andrew Mark Liddell (born 28 June 1973) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Barnsley, Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United. Born in England, he played for the Scotland U21 nati ...

* 20 October 2008:

Sean Gregan Sean Matthew Gregan (born 29 March 1974) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or centre back. He played in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion, and in the Football League with Preston North End and Dar ...

* 17 November 2008: Chris Taylor,

Kelvin Lomax Kelvin Lomax, or Kelvin Trippier, (born 12 November 1986) is an English footballer. He plays as a defender. He started his career in the youth team at Oldham Athletic before working his way through to the first team. He went on loan spells with ...

* 29 December 2008: Lee Hughes * 26 January 2009: Chris Taylor * 9 February 2009: Sean Gregan,

Dean Windass Dean Windass (born 1 April 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played spells at Bradford City and contributed to his hometown team Hull City's promotion to the Premier League in 2008. Windass started ...

* 2 March 2009: Deane Smalley

League One Team of the Year

The following Oldham Athletic players were named to the

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...

for Football League One. *

Neal Eardley Neal James Eardley (born 6 November 1988) is a former Wales international footballer who last played for Cymru Premier champions Connah’s Quay Nomads. He represented Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before winning the fir ...

, Chris Taylor

Internal awards

Each season, the club allows fans to vote on several awards, including Oldham's Player of the Year and the Colin Shaw Memorial Trophy, which goes to the Young Player of the Year. * Fans' Player of the Year:

Reuben Hazell Reuben Daniel Hazell (born 24 April 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Hazell started his career as a youth player with Aston Villa before playing for Tranmere Rovers, Torquay United, Kidde ...

* Colin Shaw Memorial Trophy: Deane Smalley * Goal of the Season:

Mark Allott Mark Stephen Allott (born 3 October 1977) is an English former footballer. Career Oldham Athletic Allott initially came through the youth ranks and was highly rated as a centre forward, scoring on his debut as a substitute in a defeat agai ...

v

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

, 1–1, 3 January 2009

References

External links

Fixtures 2008/09
at OldhamAthletic.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Season 2008-09 2008–09 2008–09 Football League One by team

Review

Pre-season and friendlies

League One

FA Cup

Carling Cup

Johnstone's Paint Trophy

Squad statistics

Transfers

In

Out

Loan in

Loan out

Awards

League One Team of the Week

League One Team of the Year

Internal awards

References

External links