Two minute guide to: Oldham Athletic
Here’s our traditional pre-match feature for our second away trip of the new season – Oldham Athletic.
Port Vale
Manager: Micky Adams
Last match: 3-1 vs Doncaster
Form guide: D-W-W
Oldham Athletic
Manager: Lee Johnson
Last match: 1-3 vs Orient
Form guide: D-L-L
Team news
Tom Pope: four goals for the season
It’s likely that Vale will be unchanged after the fine away win over Doncaster as only Byron Moore is currently deemed unavailable for selection. It means that striker Tom Pope and Ben Williamson have a chance to continue their prolific partnership that has now contributed eight goals in three games. Oldham hope that defender Brian Wilson can return but forwards Amari Morgan-Smith and Rhys Turner will miss out.
Here’s our patented “finger in the air” possible starting XI:
Johnson
Veseli – Duffy – McGivern – Dickinson (c)
Birchall – O’Connor – Lines – Marshall
Pope – Williamson
Pre-match quote
“The work rate and team spirit in our squad now is tremendous. Everyone is pulling together; even the ones on the bench are wishing the lads all the best…”
– Coach Mark Grew
Last time we met
The two sides last met back in January when a goal from loanee Jack Grimmer earned Vale a 1-0 win.
Overall record
- Vale wins: 31
- Oldham wins: 27
- Draws: 13
Trivia
Louis Dodds: Has now made 250 Vale appearances
- Louis Dodds made the 250th appearance of his Vale career when he came on as a sub against Doncaster. 81 of those appearances have been as a sub.
- Vale’s last away victory at Oldham came in 2006 when Akpo Sodje scored the winner in a 1-0 victory.
- In 2007, loan striker Craig Davies scored for Oldham in a 1-1 draw. He would later join the Valiants on loan.
They played for both…
Featured connections:
In 2008, midfielder Danny Whitaker controversially turned down a new Vale contract to join Oldham. He spent two years at Boundary Park before being released and joining Chesterfield.
Striker Chris Killen had a prolific loan spell at Vale (six goals in nine games) in 2001 before he joined Oldham on a permanent basis in 2002.
Some other players to appear for both sides include:
- Left-winger Paul Edwards
- Striker Darren Beckford
- Midfielder Jon Bowden
- Left-back Russell Bromage
- Striker Marc Richards
- Striker Lee Hughes
- Striker Leon Constantine
- Striker Jim Steel
Did you know…
One of Vale’s most controversial transfers took place between the Valiants and Oldham – although few current supporters will remember it.
In 1929, Stewart Littlewood was one of the club’s most-prized assets. The 24 year-old had just hit nine goals in the club’s last ten games but (as usual) the cash-strapped Vale opted to sell. Littlewood was sold to Oldham Athletic in exchange for £1,800 and Albert Pynager.
However, the experienced Pynegar (who was 33 years old when he joined Vale) proved to be something of a canny signing. Pynegar was partnered with tall target man Sam Jennings and the pair ran riot the following season. Jennings hit 27 goals while Pynegar netted 22 in 33 games as the club secured the Third Division (North) title in 1930.
Pynegar would finish his Vale career with 34 goals in 53 games and there was even a happy ending for Littlewood with Vale snapping him up for a second spell in 1931. He stayed for two years during which he broke the club goalscoring record by netting six during a 9-1 thrashing of Chesterfield.