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It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t a classic. It was nervy, scrappy, at times turgid. But it was another 3 points, and our 8th league win of the season. That’s just what Oldham do. They just win hideous football matches.
Y’know what, it wasn’t the best performance, but it wasn’t terrible either. It was a team who’d spent a good chunk of the previous week on the M6, making hard work of beating a team who I’m guessing made the same journey on Saturday morning. As Mellon said after the game, the mentality was “let’s just win and get out of here”, and I’ve got no problem with that.
Dagenham’s keeper was pretty rubbish, and we should have punished him more. His half-hearted attempt to play it out from the back early on was intercepted by Drummond, who laid it off to Fondop, but his shot was weak and straight at the keeper. His time came, soon enough.
I don’t like short corners, but fair play, this one worked well. Lundstram’s cross into the box was headed back across goal by Kitching, and God’s number 9, borne up on the wings of angels, rose higher than everyone else once again to head us in front. “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone (or hit the ball wide).” (Psalms 91:12)
And no, it wasn’t a foul. He doesn’t have to wait patiently for the keeper to jump for the ball.
Ogle’s long throws were a threat as usual; Drummond was pacey and made a nuisance of himself but seemed a bit shy of having a shot on goal, I hope his recent misses at Sutton and Maidenhead haven’t dented his confidence too much. We seemed more nervy than usual at the back, which was probably down to tiredness. Thankfully D&R were crap in front of goal, and what saves Hudson did have to make, he did well.
It got increasingly scrappy in the second half and was the archetypal hanging-on-to-a-one-nil-lead performance. Our job should have got a bit easier on 74 minutes, when Jake Hessenthaler was sent off for a lunge on Josh Kay. I thought it was a straight red at the time, and having watched it again on the highlights, I still think it is. It was dangerous play.
We still looked lethargic, though, and couldn’t make the extra man advantage count. I was dreading to see how much time would be added on at the end, given that there was only 2 minutes’ stoppage time played in the first half when the physios had been on twice and there’d been a goal, and was pleasantly surprised that we only had to cling on for 5 extra minutes.
In the 96th minute, in almost the last action of the game, Kay was sent off for a second yellow for kicking the ball away, which puzzled those of us who blinked and missed his first yellow a few minutes earlier. Now, you can look at this as a stupid, needless act of petulance, that could have cost us (it was unlikely to in the 96th minute, let’s be real) and which means he’s now suspended for a game; or, like Micky Mellon, you can see it as a harsh punishment when he was already committed to going for the ball. Me, I think it was a brave, selfless act of wasting the final few seconds when we were defending a narrow lead, and good on him for taking one for the team. And I was relieved, because I thought it was Fondop who’d got a second yellow for the foul. No offence, Josh, but Mikey would be a bigger loss.
Whatever your thoughts on Mellon, he says what he likes, and he likes what he bloody well says. He condemned both red cards as “crap, really crap”, and when asked if Norwood was missing from the matchday squad due to injury, he replied “no, I just didn’t pick him”. Fair enough.
There was a quite amusing pissboil on social media, both at there being no strikers on the bench when Norwood was apparently fit, then, more hilariously, at a photo of Norwood apparently in Elk Mill Nando’s at 2.50pm. As Andy pointed out, whoever took that photo clearly also missed kick off to be in Nando’s when there was a new chicken kiosk outside the ground. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, as Fondop would probably say. In any case, Norwood was in the ground to watch the game later on, and he responded on Twitter exactly how you would expect him to, the magnificent shithouse.
God’s number 9 rounded off a good week in fine style, being named the winner of the (ahem) 2024 Van-on d’Or. Yes, it’s an internet popularity contest and we’re by far the biggest fanbase in this league, but let’s all enjoy a bit of silly fun, shall we? Fondop, bless ‘im, accepted it with the grace and enthusiasm you’d expect, thanked God for this achievement, and hoped it wouldn’t be his last trophy of the season. We hope so, too, Mikey. May God be with us.
📸 Vanarama National League
On Thursday we strengthened our squad again, with the signing of hugely experienced midfielder Sam Clucas. He played 32 games in the Championship for Rotherham last season, and the general consensus on social media seems to be that he could definitely cut it in League One. It’s another big statement of intent by the club. Maybe consider hoisting the sails on HMS Piss the League….
📸 Oldham Athletic
Off to see our old friends at Tranmere today, then. It should be a good day out, football and draconian policing aside. If you’re heading to Prenton Park, keep an eye out for people collecting for Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice. Their Liverpool site is facing closure, and they were given the seemingly impossible task of raising over £5m by November 9th to secure a new home. Thanks to people’s amazing generosity, they’re close to achieving this. Please give if you can, it’s a fantastic resource that provides such valuable support to families of babies with life-limiting and complex conditions.
Safe journey if you’re going, and pick up a programme, I believe there’ll be some very clever and witty comments about us in there. Today’s the start of Andy’s birthday festivities – he’s got a big birthday next Thursday, I’m too polite to say which one, but a win today would make an old man very happy. Here’s hoping Norwood scores, does the chicken dance to celebrate, goads the home fans and gets sent off. KTMFF.
Written by Arlene Finnigan
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