Football Season Review

Over the last few seasons, Oldham had teams that had bags of potential but lacked consistency, and fans hoped that this would finally change this season, as the Latics completed a summer coup for highly rated forward Jose Baxter. The former Everton trainee did deliver, but his efforts were not enough for the Latics to make a step up and push for the Play-offs. Moreover, Oldham's good performances were few and far between during the majority of the season, as they spent the most of the time battling against the drop. The difference between their potential and their table position became evident during a two and a half month spell between mid December and early February, as the Latics went on a run of nine league games from which they collected only one point, but managed to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup during that horrid run. The win over Liverpool bought Paul Dickov more time, but the Latics' boss eventually opted to leave his post in early February. Youth team manager Tony Philliskirk took over - he had initial success at the helm, winning his first three games in charge, but a run of defeats followed, and the board opted to name a different manager to lead the club in the remainder of the season. Despite receiving applications from many well known candidates, the Latics' board made the risky move of appointing 31 year old Lee Johnson, who had no previous managerial experience, but got the job due to impressing the Oldham board with his ideas and presentation. Johnson's reign started with a 3-0 win over Hartlepool that was followed by back to back draws against Swindon and Colchester, but back to back defeats to Crewe and Preston got the Latics right back into the relegation scrap. The key game of their season was certainly the derby against Bury away - they managed to overcome the Shakers thanks to a late goal by cult hero Matt Smith, and went on to win their next two matches, effectively securing their survival. The decision to appoint Johnson has therefore been vindicated in a way, but there is little doubt that the young manager will have to deal with much higher expectations next season - Oldham's squad is too good to have anything to do with relegation, and if they keep the core of the side together, Johnson will be expected to deliver at least a top half finish next term.

Player of the Season: Jose Baxter