Opposition Insight | Oldham Athletic

By Ryan Brookes | Image by Tom Poole

A tough test for the Minstermen awaits this Tuesday evening, as in-form Oldham Athletic visit the LNER Community Stadium.

The Latics boast an unbeaten February record so far, a month where Boreham Wood and Maidenhead have both been pushed aside by the ex-Premier League club, while Ebbsfleet managed to hold them to a goalless draw.

Oldham’s second National League campaign didn’t exactly get off to a flyer back in the opening months, claiming just a single win from their first nine games, including heavy defeats to Southend and Bromley.

Coincidentally, their long-awaited second win of the season came at home to York City, where the departure of manager David Unsworth days before seemed to have a positive impact.

Since that date in September, the Greater Manchester outfit have picked up form, managing to turn around their season under the guidance of Micky Mellon – Latics now occupy 6th in the table, a guaranteed playoff spot should they hold on until the end of April.

Manager: Micky Mellon

Oldham Athletic appointed Mellon as manager back in October 2023 on a three-year contract, and the difference made at Boundary Park is already clear.

The 51-year-old boasts vast experience on the touchline, having achieved promotion on five occasions with three clubs across his 15-year managerial career.

Having taken Fleetwood up to the National League in 2009/10, he then led them to the Football League two seasons later.

He was also the mastermind of Tranmere’s return to League Two in 2018, before making it successive promotions the following campaign.

Sandwiched in between those posts, Mellon earned another promotion, this time with Shrewsbury Town as they made the step up to League One.

In 2020, his home country Scotland came calling, as he took on the job at Dundee United, before returning to Tranmere for a two-year spell in 2021.

He was sacked last March, and it took him until October to get back into the game, where he linked up with Oldham.

Top Scorer: James Norwood

The 33-year-old striker’s move from Barnsley to Boundary Park in the summer was a fairly notable one, which certainly got Latics fans excited, and rightly so.

Norwood, who has endured successful spells at the likes of Forest Green, Tranmere and Ipswich over the years, now plies his trade in the top tier of non-league football and has not failed to disappoint.

Reunited with Micky Mellon, his former boss while banging in the goals for Tranmere, the forward has been a crucial part of getting Oldham to where they are in the league now, thanks to his 16 goals this term.

With four braces included in that tally, Norwood is a certain threat but he now faces a period on the sidelines through injury, so he may miss out on both of Latics’ clashes with York this season.

One We Know: Mark Kitching

While it was brief, current Latics left-back Mark Kitching once spent time on loan with the Minstermen in his early career.

After progressing through the Middlesbrough Academy, Kitching was sent to North Yorkshire in 2015 on a one-month youth loan.

He was thrown straight in to make his debut against Accrington Stanley just days after making the move – the game ended in a heavy 5-1 home defeat and lost his place in the team, failing to make another appearance before returning to Boro.

Since his cameo experience with the Minstermen, the 28-year-old has gone on to play for Rochdale, Hartlepool, and Stockport, prior to his switch to Oldham in 2022.

Kitching has played 31 times for his side this season in the National League – all but one game which is in fact the most recent fixture against Maidenhead.

Head-to-Head

History between York City and Oldham Athletic dates back to the 26th October 1935, when the Latics beat City 6-2 in Division Three (North).

Since then, the clubs have met 61 times, with the Minstermen winning 19 times, and Oldham taking the victory on 22 occasions.

Prior to Oldham’s relegation to the National League in 2022, the sides had not met competitively since 1999.

The long-awaited reunion ended in a 1-1 draw at the LNER Community Stadium, before Oldham took all three points in the reverse fixture at Boundary Park.

City made the trip across the Pennines again back in September, where once more, the Greater Manchester outfit secured a 2-0 win.