A track from Dry Cleaning’s 2024 album “Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks & Sweet Princess”, seeing as we are welcoming the team from Boundary Park – Oldham Athletic. I’m looking forward to the soon to be released new album by them.
Quiz time answer — Apart from Bromley, how many other current league sides beginning with the letter B full names also end with a Y? Four – Barnsley, Birmingham City, Bradford City, and Burnley.
Today’s game follows hot on the heels of a disappointing Tuesday night fixture away at Bromley, both from the perspective of the result and the second half capitulation to lose 3-1, and from the utter contempt Bromley show the away fans with the facilities available (cramped Portaloo’s, a single refreshments tent which took until twenty minutes into the second half to clear the half time food queue, and the lackadaisical manner of how they dealt with the collapse of a fan in the away terrace). Thankfully, I’m back in our own somewhat weather-beaten marquee for today’s game.
There is still no update as to how applications for the FAB have gone, perhaps they are still trying to find how to get to Tracy Island.
Thursday night saw the club hold a Panini sticker swap, signing and meet and greet night, which I wasn’t able to get to, but which did see lots of stickers available for others, which is much needed as there are as rare as rocking horse shit anywhere else. Panini have massively underestimated demand, and their supply chain seems to be FUBAR, as nowhere in Crawley has had any for weeks (until a few scant deliveries on Friday to TG Jones and Asda), and nowhere else I’ve have had any either.
It’s been a bit of a rush this week for me since the Tuesday night game, with a couple of writing groups, book club, and a work’s Christmas party to occupy my time, but I did find some old programmes from games against them in the collection, but one is missing, misfiled so it could be anywhere, and that is from the last time we played them at home back in 2022, the season they were relegated to the National League. We drew both games with them that season, including the season finale at Boundary Park, when relegated had already been confirmed for them.
But they are back and this home game against them sees the return of a Crawley Town programme, unofficial and put together by fans, but it is a programme, something various people have been crying out for.
We have played Oldham fourteen times before, the first six games in League One, and the last eight in League Two, overall our record is won four, drawn four, and lost six, and the home three wins, two draws, and two losses. In League Two games it is two wins, two draws, and four losses, of which at home it is one win, one draw, and two losses.
I have already used two Oldham 1976 season Topps cards in previous pieces, one a couple of weeks ago in the Greater Manchester retro Kev issue, and then one in the Accrington one in a previous managers rogue’s gallery. So I’m going to use this as an opportunity to crack open the recently acquired older complete Panini collections book.
Well, it was that or this year’s, but back in 1980 they had second division teams included in the albums, and this was the Oldham Athletic half page in it.
We don’t have any former Oldham players in our current squad, and Oldham don’t have any of our ex-players in their squad either, but they do have a Jake Leake in their squad, so we should be asking Steve if he is any relation. There are a number of players to have played for both, including Nicky Adams, Mat Sadler, Anthony Grant, Lee Barnard, Mike Jones, Filipe Morais, Cedric Evina, and Rhys Murphy.
However it is Ernie Cooksey who will be remembered today, having played for both, and then passed at the early age of 28. To commemorate this, there will be a minute’s applause in the 28th minute of today’s game. Only for the club not to announce it officially as they couldn’t contact the family, and so with it only being word of mouth it was a sporadic minute.
Going into today’s game we sit four places and six points behind Oldham in the league table, and only two places and a point above the relegation places, and we could easily slip into them if results go the wrong way for us today. And looking at the points we have at this stage of the season; we are now a point behind what we had in our relegation haunted season of 2022-23. We need a win to stay within a point of that season’s point progression.
I got to the ground earlier than I usually do, and found Steve Leake was already on sales duty in the one remaining programme booth the club have and are letting us use.
Nearly two hours later, we were wheeling it inside the stand with not many of the initial run left (and me with hives rising as it was less than five minutes before kick-off, not the usual hour and a half I usually have going on for any game). It turns out by the time the game was over there was just the one programme left from the two hundred printed. Which is a great result.
Onto the game then, and there were four changes to the starting lineup from the Tuesday night debacle, with Harvey Davies, Dion Conroy, Kaheim Dixon, and Jack Roles all starting. Oldham were in a mainly blue kit with two wide white stripes to either side on the front of their shirts, like some kind of Tesco imitation kit, us being at home meant the usual all red with white trim. (You can tell how late I am compared to usual getting into the ground, as the head on – well back on – shot of the teams lined up before handshakes, was rushed from a strange angle.)
We start well, and there is an early Jay Williams shot from thirty-five yards which isn’t far over the top of the bar. A long ball forward is chased by Kaheim Dixon, and he is just beaten to it by a combination of the Oldham keeper and a defender, who collide and are both down getting treatment. The defender is not recovering and gets substituted.
When play restarts there is a long throw into the box which is headed back to Charlie Barker and he crosses it back into the box and Ryan Loft goes for the spectacular overhead kick, doesn’t quite catch it fully and the attempt goes wide. Oldham get forward quickly down the right and get a ball into the box and the shot goes over the bar and continues over the Eden Utilities Stand for ball loss number one.
It is quite quiet in our block of the marquee, there is no TAFKAL to keep the lino on their toes and hurry the opponents’ throw takers along. But there is a bit of chuntering as we give the ball away in midfield and Oldham have a shot on target. And then there is a suicidal back pass from Ade Adeyemo straight to an Oldham striker and their shot goes across the goal and just wide past the far post.
A ball down the left finds Adeyemo, he passes it across to Jack Roles, on to Reece Brown and then to Harry Forster, who plays it back to Roles and his shot takes a deflection and goes just wide for a corner. We keep possession and get it back to Roles, his cross is blocked, and then it goes back to him to cross again, the ball goes to the far side of the area and Loft shoots, and it goes in down low in the corner and we lead 1-0.
After the restart Barker takes a blow to the face and has blood coming from his nose. Oldham get a corner and there is a free header in the middle of the box from it, but it is straight at Harvey Davies. A quick release down the right to Dixon and on to Roles who can’t work a crossing opportunity from it, and it goes for a throw, it is taken to Forster, and his cross sees Josh Flint attempt a back heel flick, which goes wide.
We are definitely on the front foot, and the next attack sees Roles line up another shot, this one over the bar from thirty yards out. Some decent play down the right with Barker and Forster and the teasing cross in is cleared.
At the other end Oldham heave a long throw into the box, it is flick on and then put into the net, but the lino on the far side has his flag up for offside, but definitely a warning. A long ball out of defence from Oldham is flicked on and despite looking twenty yards offside the flag stays down, and the shot is well saved by Davies and cleared. And Oldham come again, getting a corner down the right after some attempted sliding interceptions miss. It’s headed straight up in the air and then Davies gets an unconvincing punch on it, but the ref has blown for a foul. Forster is pushed over from behind as he goes to pass it back to Davies and a corner is given, there is a flick on at the near post and Davies catches the second header.
After that spell of defending we come out and work it down the right to Forster, he pulls it back to Brown and his shot is saved, it goes across to Dixon who sees his shot saved and the ball is cleared as far as Loft in midfield and he is fouled, but the free kick is cleared. We are keeping the ball well and work an effort for Adeyemo who has a shot from outside the left of the box which is saved.
The ref is being extremely picky about where throws are being taken, he’s not letting them be taken more than a couple of paces up or down the pitch from where they were given, for both sides.
There are six added minutes at the end of the half, and Dixon has the ball down the left and is tackled in the box, the ball comes back to Brown and he floats it over the defenders and keeper only for the ball to hit the underside of the bar and bounce back to the thankful goalkeeper. We get the ball and attack again down the left, Adeyemo plays it inside to Forster who is fouled about thirty-five yards out. There is a well worked free kick from him to Dixon to the right inside the box, he plays it back across to Roles and his shot deflects wide for a corner. Forster takes but the ref has already stopped proceedings to talk to players, just as Williams is thrown to the ground. And the half time whistle goes with us leading 1-0.
At half time someone finally manages to get the ball through an appropriate hole in the County Mall penalty spot challenge, and we finally have a winner. And the sky looks great over the west stand.
Into the second half and it doesn’t take long to see it has been another disastrous half time team talk as we attempt to shoot ourselves in the foot from the outset.
An early misplaced pass to Oldham sees a shot blocked and go for a corner, it is cleared but put back in and a cross is blocked by Williams, and it spins up and out over the KRL Logistics stand for ball loss number two of the day. The corner in sees panic in the box, Davies makes a save, there is a block on the line, and it is hacked out for a throw. They keep it out on the left and it is pulled back to the edge of the box and a curling shot in beats Davies’ despairing dive and goes in the bottom corner and it is all square at 1-1.
Seriously, haven’t we seen enough of this damn script this season already. Don’t let the players into the dressing room at half time, there is something in there which is sapping the energy and drive out of the team.
It doesn’t get any better, we are now playing as if the players have never met each other before and have had their memories wiped. Misplaced passes galore, needless throws given away. Oldham get a shot and it is just wide. We make a substitution with Dixon coming off to be replaced by Louie Watson.
The first proper attack we have in the half sees Adeyemo down the left, and he pulls it back to Brown on the edge of the box and his shot goes wide left. It’s only a respite, Oldham go and win a corner, and have a shot from it, fortunately straight at Davies. An Oldham player goes down in the box, and the players and fans are appealing for a penalty.
Oldham are being more physical in the second half, and there are a couple of cynical fouls, which only get a talking to from the ref, where yellow cards should have been forthcoming. In midfield Roles plays a ball over the defence and Flint is onto it and his cross misses out Loft and gets to Forster beyond the back post, he crosses it back in and it eludes everyone and is cleared. Roles is fouled in midfield again and we get a free kick, but somehow it is Roles who is getting the talking to from the ref afterwards.
We make another substitution with Brown going off to be replaced by Gavan Holohan. Forster is hacked down on the right wing, and the yellow card finally makes an appearance.
After the extreme pickiness of the first half, the ref has given up policing where throws are taken from and an Oldham throw given on half way is taken fifteen yards down the line, it is flicked over the defender and shouldered into the box to a striker who has all fucking week to decide where he is going to place the ball past Davies in goal and we trail 1-2. FFS.
More substitutions follow, Adeyemo and Roles are off and are replaced by Kabby Tshimanga and Dion Pereira. But still Oldham attack, a free kick comes in from the left, and a shot is saved by Davies, and Oldham get a corner, it comes in and the shot goes wide. We play out from the back and Pereira plays it forward quickly and Tshimanga shrugs his man off on the edge of the area and rifles in the shot from just inside the area and we are back level at 2-2.
Finally woken up now, the team attack again and Loft breaks into the Oldham half and plays the ball across to Tshimanga, he drives forward and shoots from the other side of the box from the one just scored and it takes a deflection and goes just wide. The corner is swing in, and the ref blows for an infringement as the ball comes in. An Oldham ball into the box and the flag goes up, but Oldham shoot anyway, and it flies over the bar and well over the KRL Logistics stand for ball loss number three of the day.
There are four added minutes at the end of the game. We clear long and it is flicked on to Forster, he beats a man and breaks into the box. He is bundled over and there are claims from the players and our fans for a penalty, which are waved away. A clearance sees Oldham offside and a yellow card for an Oldham player for kicking the ball away as Davies goes to take the free kick.
Loft is bundled over twenty-five yards out on the left and Forster takes deep and it is flicked behind for a corner. It is swung in and a header is saved and the second ball is still bouncing around, and the ref blows his whistle and points to the spot for a penalty. There is pandemonium. Most of the Oldham players surround the ref and one rushes twenty yards to join in ad pushed the ref. Under this season’s rules, those players surrounding the ref should all have been booked, and it should be a straight red for pushing the ref. But the ref bottles it, no cards are shown and he shuffles to the lino who is in position ready for a penalty to be taken, they have a quick chat and the penalty decision is reversed, to add insult to injury the ref then rushes to show a yellow card to Flint, who is completely non-plussed by that decision, and furious. Fans behind the goal say the right decision was got to eventually as it looked as if it was Barker who handballed it, but both officials were guessing by the time it was overturned as there was no way the lino could see it when the ref was forty yards closer to it.
The final whistle goes and it is a draw 2-2. Dion Conroy does his captaining bit by catching and dragging Flint away from going to confront the ref at the end as he is completely steaming mad. I’m fairly sure there would be plenty of places they would like to break a spear on Mr Breakspear, today’s referee.
On the whole drowned out, it sounded as if the crowd was announced as 3,296 with 414 away fans (not the 5k+ that flashed up on the scoreboard). A point keeps us in twenty-first in the table, with only Bristol Rovers in the teams around us not picking up any points. We need to do something about the seemingly standard second half malaise that is plaguing us.
Quiz Time, how many other sides have we played this season who have been managed by Micky Mellon?
Next up is promotion chasing Swindon Town away, the last game before Christmas, perhaps a bit of magic from the roundabout can rub off on us and we can get some points there. They did win 3-0 away against Bristol Rovers today and are third in the table, so not an easy task.
Come on you reds.