Football Season Review

Oldham put last season’s struggle behind them under new boss Paul Dickov and were amongst the early leaders with just three defeats in their opening 16 games. Dickov was clear on his policy of giving youth a chance and the Latics’ squad was amongst the youngest in the league. That policy looked like paying off as the side were in and around the top six for the first-half of the season. However, things went badly wrong in the second half of the season as Dickov’s young side went off the boil, and their end position of 17th was highly disappointing considering the start they made. A real difficulty in finding the net was their biggest problem and a run of one win in 17 games, starting in early February, saw them plummet down the table. They scored just seven times in that run and not one of his strikers managed to hit even five goals this term, so Dickov’s main worry over the summer will be improving his attacking options. Midfielder Dale Stephens had a great season, but he looks set to join Southampton, whilst the club is facing a constant battle to hold onto star player Chris Taylor, who finished as the team’s highest scorer with 11 league goals. However, even without those two, Oldham have a host of young talents and could be a force to be reckoned with if Dickov can find the right experienced players to improve the balance. The season was certainly not a failure on the field, but there were big problems off it as the club struggled to pay its wage bill. Dickov was left with no option but to trim his squad, and numerous players were shown the door over the course of the campaign. The likes of Sean Gregan and Greg Fleming were let go, and Dickov refused to show patience with players dogged by injury, such as Rob Purdie, Joe Jacobson and Andy Holdsworth, or even his own signings that failed to cut it. Oldham could face a few more up-and-down seasons before they are capable of challenging for promotion again, but at least there is an air of optimism again under Dickov after Dave Penney’s poor tenure.

Player of the Season: Chris Taylor