D3D4 Oldham Athletic Correspondent Chris Stringer gives his match report from the Lancashire derby between the Latics and the Shakers…

MATCH REPORT: Oldham Athletic 2-1 Bury

Oldham continued their impressive run of form in a less than classic Lancashire derby, as the heavens opened above Boundary Park.

Oldham started strongest in what was a scrappy match. Queensy Menig had his shot blocked and a few crosses failed to meet their intended target. There were, however, few clear cut chances chances for either side in the opening 20 minutes. After 24 minutes, Oldham continued a theme seen in previous matches; a series of nice passing found Doyle inside the area who smashed past Leo Fasan. A fine move by the Latics. Following this, Oldham settled into the match and continued to pass their way around the Shakers. Both Gardner and Davies had shots saved and, despite a close Jay O’Shea freekick 5 minutes from half time, the blues look good value for their lead at the break.

90 seconds into the second half, a quick freekick found O’Shea on the left wing who found Algred in the box. The resulting powerful header smashed against the post and in. This ignited a good period of play for Bury. The visiting side had clearly done their homework and were preventing Oldham from playing their fast-flowing passing game.

Oldham fans felt nervous as the normally impressive Oldham midfield squandered passes and the Shakers pressed forwards, looking threatening. Kean Bryan’s stand-out performance proved to be essential in keeping this pressure from materialising into another goal.

In the final 20 minutes, Oldham managed to regain some control on the match. The intorduction of Abdelhakim Omrani toughened up the Oldham midfield and allowed Byrne some more creative freedom. He had his shot just evade goal, whilst Craig Davies hit the side-netting on the 75th minute. In a nervy last 15 minutes for both sides, the match really could have gone either way and it took until the 93rd minute for the match to reach its peak. Jermaine Beckford turned his man on the edge of the area and hit a good shot that Johnny Placide somehow managed to save. The Haitian was quick to his feet and took a few strides before hitting the ball inch perfectly to Aaron Amadi-Holloway. The substitute took one touch before he smashed into the top corner and the stadium erupted with pure joy.

It’s late heartbreak for Bury in a game where they matched the hosts for large parts of the game. But another defeat sees Bury settled in 21st position and don’t look like emerging from the relegation zone any time soon. Does this mark the end of Lee Clark’s tenure at Bury?


FULL TIME: Oldham Athletic (Doyle 24’, Holloway 90+3’) 2-1 Bury (Aldred 47’)

Oldham Athletic: Placide, Dummigan, Clarke, Bryan, Hunt, Byrne (Green 87’), Fane, Gardner, Menig (Omrani 60’), Davies (Holloway 87’), Doyle.

Subs not used: Ruddy, Wilson, Gerrard, Flynn.

Bury: Fasan, Leigh, O’Connell, Beckford, Reilly, Edwards, Aldred, Humphrey (Dobre 55’), O’Shea, Smith (Tutte 89’), Ince (Laurent 79’).

Subs not used: Maguire, Bunn, Maloney, Shotton.

Referee: Darren Drysdale

Attendance: 5,183 (752 visiting supporters)