Oldham Athletic v Tranmere Rovers Match Preview
By Matthew Jones
January 18 2010
As Rovers prepare for only their second game of 2010 so far and their first in the League, Matthew Jones takes a look ahead as the Superwhite Army travel to Boundary Park on Wednesday evening in a game from which Rovers need to to take at least a point if they are to keep up with the other relegation threatened sides in League One....
Wednesday 20th January 2010 - Coca Cola League One
Oldham A v Tranmere R
Kick Off 7.45pm at Boundary Park
After Tranmere lost out on another game at the weekend, with their home game against Yeovil Town postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, Rovers fans, players and staff will be hoping that they can finally take to the pitch for the first time in seventeen days on Wednesday when they take on Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park.
This Coca Cola League One fixture is a huge match for both sides, as Rovers look to beat a side who lie just above them in the table and who no doubt will be battling against relegation to League Two come May as well.
Previous Meetings
Tranmere and Oldham haven't met yet this season, with the fixture at Prenton Park between the two sides set to take place in just a couple of weeks.
However, when the two sides did meet last season, they threw up two surprising results, with the away side winning on each occasion.
The first match at Prenton Park saw Tranmere put in a very disappointing display as they lost at home for the first time in the league that season.
In a fierce derby between two rivals that saw ten yellow cards, the only goal of the game was scored by a former Tranmere player for the Latics in the first half.
The man in question was ex-Aston Villa defender Reuben Hazell, who played for Tranmere during their run to the League Cup final in the 1999/2000 season, who drifted in unmarked to head home from a corner after 35 minutes.
Tranmere had plenty of chances to equalise, with Shuker and Curran missing chances, whilst Coyne made a string of saves at the other end, but the win was confirmed as Oldham's in the 80th minute, when Steven Jennings had a goal dissallowed for offside.
Rovers salvaged plenty of pride in March though when they return to Boundary Park and put in one of their best displays of the season, as they beat the Latics 2-0 and confirmed that their late surge for the play-offs was well and truly on.
Tranmere dominated the match from start to finish, putting in a display that delighted Rovers fans and winning the match by a scoreline that in all honesty flattered Oldham.
Rovers' first came in the 57th minute when Charlie Barnett expertly volleyed home Ryan Shotton's cross from just inside the penalty area, whilst Ronnie Moore's side confirmed the win with fifteen minutes left when Ian Moore netted from the penalty spot after a foul from Stam which saw the defender sent off.
Vital Stats:
These two sides have met on forty previous occasions at Boundary Park, with Tranmere winning and drawing nine each of these matches.
Rovers have scored just 45 goals in their 40 matches away to Oldham, with the Latics netting on 71 occasions.
The clean sheet that Tranmere kept in their last away match against Oldham was their first at Boundary Park for thirteen matches and fifteen years.
Roves have won just one of their last ten trips to Oldham.
Tranmere have won once in six meetings between the two sides when they have played each other on a Wednesday.
On This Day:
1996: Tranmere lose 2-1 away to Wolves in Division One.
1986: A Football League Trophy match, watched by just 1047 fans, is won 2-0 by Tranmere at Prenton Park against Preston.
1978: Rovers win 2-1 at home to Hereford United in the Old Division Four.
Tranmere have played nine previous games on January 20th, picking up five wins, one draw and three defeats, though they haven't won away on this date since 1934. In these nine games, Tranmere have scored thirteen goals and conceded ten.
The Form Book:
Oldham Last Six Home Games: WLDLLL
Tranmere Last Six Away Games: LWDLWL
Oldham come into this game having won just one of their last six away games, and on the end of a poor run of form that has seen the side win just one out of ten matches in all competitions.
Dave Penny's side started their six match sequence with three successive defeats, firstly at the hands of Southampton (3-1) before they lost 1-0 in a local derby against Huddersfield Town.
Another local derby six days later saw the Latics crash out of the F.A. Cup thanks to a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United at Boundary Park, but in their next home game two weeks later, Oldham did manage to pick up a point thanks to a 2-2 draw against Colchester United, with Taylor and Brooke scoring to pull Oldham from 2-0 behind.
However, in their next home game Oldham were again defeated by Leeds United, this time in the league, as Simon Grayson's side won 2-0, before Oldham managed their first win in six at home on December 12th, when Smalley and Heffernan scored in a 2-0 win over Exeter City.
Oldham have only picked up two other home league wins this season, defeating MK Dons (2-1) and Carlisle United (2-0) at Boundary Park in September.
Having played eleven home games so far this season, Oldham have picked up thirteen points, thanks to three wins, four draws and four defeats.
Notable away results for the Latics this season include victories over Leyton Orient (2-1), Southend United (1-0) and Brighton (2-0), with Oldham having actually picked up only one less point on the road this season than at home.
The Lancashire side come into this game just one place above the relegation zone in 20th, having played 23 games this season and picked up 25 of an available 69 points, thanks to six wins, seven draws and ten defeats.
It is almost impossible to say what Tranmere's away form is like, with the club not playing a game on the road since December 12th due to the poor weather conditions that have hit Britain of late. They do however come into this game with two wins in their last five away from home, and having not lost in the league in 2010 (though they are of course yet to play a game this year!).
Rovers started their six match sequence with an unfortunate 2-0 defeat at Norwich City, with Rovers dominating the first half at Carrow Road before succumbing to the home side, though three days later they picked up their first away win since September when they beat Leyton Orient 1-0 in an F.A. Cup First Round replay thanks to a late strike from Ashton Taylor.
Four days later Les Parry's side returned to Brisbane Road, this time in the league, but they were to be sent home empty handed following a 2-1 defeat, despite a first half goal from midfielder Charlie Barnett, making a rare start for the club.
Their next game on the road however was a thriller, as Rovers three times came from behind to draw 3-3 with Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium, thanks to goals from Ian Moore, Craig Curran and Ashton Taylor.
Tranmere then beat Aldershot Town 2-1 a week later in an F.A. Cup second round replay, before losing 3-0 at the hands of high flying Southampton at St. Marys four days later in what was their most recent away match.
Tranmere's only other notable result on the road this season was a 1-0 win at Wycombe courtesy of a Ian Moore goal when John Barnes was still in charge of the club.
Rovers come into this game having picked up just four of an available 33 points on the road this season, having won one, drawn one and lost nine of their eleven games away from home.
Notable results at Prenton Park for Tranmere this season include wins over Gillingham (4-2), Bristol Rovers (2-0) and Southend United (2-0).
Les Parry's side come into this match in 22nd place in the League One table, having played 23 games and picked up 21 of an available 69 points, thanks to six wins, three draws and fourteen defeats.
Double Hit:
Over recent years, many players have played for both clubs, including Clint Hill, Reuban Hazell and Nicky Henry, whilst former Rovers manager Ronnie Moore was boss at Boundary Park before joining Tranmere in 2006, and current Chesterfield player Mark Allott signed for Tranmere in pre-season, before being released by manager John Barnes without playing a game for the club!
Another player who represented both clubs in the last decade was midfielder Wayne Gill, who played for Tranmere under two managers, John Aldridge and Dave Watson.
Gill started his career with Blackburn Rovers, but made just three league cup appearances for the club. A spell on loan at Dundee United saw him make just two appearances in the SPL, whilst a year later he made twelve appearances on loan at Blackpool, scoring seven goals.
This impressive form was enough to convince Tranmere boss John Aldridge to sign the player on a free transfer following his release from Blackburn in July 2000.
However, Gill would never recapture that form, with all three of his goals for Tranmere coming in his first six matches for the club.
Over 13 months at Prenton Park, the midfielder made only 22 appearances for the club, before joining Oldham for £70,000 in October 2001. The money however was not well spent, with Gill making just four appearances for the club in two years.
Injuries though had hampered Gill's entire career, and after a spell in non-league football with Scarborough and Droylsden, Gill retired from football aged 29 in 2005.
He moved into education, and after completing his degree at Lancaster University, Gill is not the physio for Conference North side Lancaster City.
One To Watch: Pawell Abbott
A striker with an eye for goal, former Darlington front man Pawell Abbott has scored three in his last four appearances for the Latics and looks in good form having joined the club in July.
After starting his career in his native Poland, Abbott's first move into English football was with Preston in February 2004, joining the club for £125,000 aged eighteen.
However, the striker failed to ever cement his place in the first team at Deepdale, and following loan spells at Bury (x2) and Huddersfield, and having scored just five goals in thirty appearances for Preston, Abbott was sold to Huddersfield in March 2003.
Subsequent spells with the Terriors, Swansea and Darlington followed, before the tall striker was sold for an undisclosed fee by Darlington on the summer due to their well documented financial troubles.
Abbott was at his most successful in League One with Huddersfield, where he scored 51 goals over his loan spell and permanent spell at the club, and it was to League One that he returned in the summer when he signed for Oldham.
Since joining the Latics, Abbott has netted seven times in eighteen games, and is beginning to refind the confidence and form he captured in this division before leaving Huddersfield three years ago.
At 6'01, Abbott is strong in the air but also a natural finisher inside the box. He will have to be marked closely by the Rovers defence and possesses plenty of pace. The 27-year old wears the number nine shirt for the Latics.
League One Fixtures:
This game is only being played on the Wednesday, as opposed to the Tuesday, because of the Manchester derby, and it is the only fixture in League One on Wednesday. However, there are four fixtures in the division on Tuesday:
Charlton vs. Hartlepool
Huddersfield vs. Bristol Rovers
Leyton Orient vs. Yeovil Town
Stockport Town vs. Swindon
Team News:
Having not played for over two weeks, Tranmere come into this game with a clean bill of health, though this game will come too early for Bas Savage who needs to regain match fitness playing for the reserve side after a long injury lay off.
However, midfielder Alan Mahon could return to the Tranmere squad having been out of action for two months, though he will most likely only make the substitutes bench.
Jones' Prediction: Oldham Athletic 1-1 Tranmere Rovers
This will be a very tight game in my opinion, and one in which that Tranmere must do everything they can to prevent them from losing, because the points won and lost in this match could be the ones that decides who goes down at the end of the season.
Having not played for so long, it's difficult to say who's playing well and who isn't for either team, and how each team will play, but it's certain that Tranmere must continue doing what they have been doing so well in recent weeks, which is getting the ball out to strikers Ian Moore and Craig Curran who have had the chanes to score goals for the team.
Defender Ian Goodison, who saw red in this fixture two years ago, will be a key player for Rovers as he looks to lead by example in defence, whilst Rovers' midfield must not only protect their back four, but they must also create chances for the front three.
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It's sad that it's come to that but I beleive a failure to win is nothing short of a disaster.
Defeat tonight is unthinkable - if we lose we have to prepare for the worst in my opinion.
A win would be terrific there's no doubt about it but it's not going to make or break our season.
Not sure how long he's been back though.