Tag Archives: Tranmere Rovers

Bury Fans Hoping For Promotion Party 2.0 at Prenton Park

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Four years ago, Tom Soares goal earned Bury a 1-0 win over Tranmere Rovers, ensuring a top three promotion spot and that The Shakers would play their 2015/16 football in League One. On a rather substantial budget, David Flitcroft’s team won promotion, finishing the season third on 85 points.

Sadly this would be ex-manager Flitcroft and ex-chairman Day’s one and only promotion with the club. 18 months later the now Mansfield boss was sacked from the helm at Gigg Lane whilst Day would flee the club the same year the club were relegated back down to League Two, 2018.

Now on Saturday an all new Bury side will aim to repeat what was achieved on the final day of the 2014/15 season, or at least take them near enough to the finish line. Although the squad has seen a fair few turnovers, the strong contingent of fans remains the same and a sell out visiting end will travel to Merseyside with plenty of optimism ahead of Bury’s final away game of the season.

A win would near enough send Bury back up to League One. This has become a must not lose game for Lowe’s side as any more slip ups could leave them faced in a potential five team final day promotion battle.

Tranmere are certainly not the side there were back in 2015. Then already relegated to the Non-League, now Micky Mellon’s side sit four points off the automatic promotion spots, five behind Bury after 44 games. Within their ranks is none other than James Norwood, league Two’s top goalscorer with 27 goals and player of the season, pipping Danny Mayor and Jay O’Shea to the award.

Mellon will believe his side are more than a match for Bury. Having gone without a win in three away games on the road, putting a dent into The Shaker’s promotion coffin is by no means impossible.

However, the never die attitude of Bury FC is something Rovers will find hard to match. Visiting fans may well see another post match 5pm huddle, something we’ve seen a fair few times in recent weeks.

81 points should be enough for promotion, due to MK Dons and Mansfield going up against each other next Saturday.  In the event of a ‘promotion party’ which will probably include a pitch invasion in the Port Vale game, this would mean a fond farewell to the fourth division, but on the flip side, a goodbye to the majority of first team players and maybe even manager due to problems completely out of their hands.

But that article can wait. First let’s see if this present team can collect six points can from their final two games.

Wild Will Look to Edge Closer To The Playoffs By Closing The Gap To Exeter With a Win

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Mathematics may not be everybody’s favourite subject but, even those of us who struggle with simple equations will feel confident in explaining the formula Oldham need to book their place in the playoffs. There is little doubt that Peter Wild will have also pressed home the simple fact to the players, that if Latics win their last three games they will finish the season in seventh place and those around them can do what they like as it won’t make the slightest difference.

With 10 of the top 12 teams playing each other this Saturday, the final week of the season could not have been set up more dramatically. With only Forest Green Rovers showing better form than Athletic in the league over the last 6 games, the visit of a club breathing down their necks is probably the last thing Exeter City need at the moment.

The South West club have hit poor form with only one win in the last six and will be well aware that Oldham have seen off Mansfield, Tranmere and Colchester recently and are experiencing a great run of confidence under Peter Wild which they will be looking to continue.

Wild knows the scale of what he is asking his players to do and he rightly pointed out the nervousness of the Mansfield side on Easter Monday and how the same pressure could affect Exeter. He also made reference to the 92/93 season when Latics had to win their last three games to stay in the Premier League which he experienced from the terraces, and although a lot of water has passed under the bridge from those days, the analogy will not be lost on a good number of the supporters still keeping the faith 26 years later.

It is plain to see that the Athletic players are perfectly capable of beating any of the clubs in League Two, they have just needed the right motivation and confidence. Peter Wild has managed to instill the will to win in the squad which has brought them to the brink of an extended season via the playoffs, and has been praised from various sources for his positive approach.

Needless to say, all the supporters coaches embarking on the long trip to Exeter have sold out and Wild once again paid tribute to the club’s vociferous fans who have been a feature of games up and down the country this season. With an estimated 500+ planning to brave the motorway traffic, their part in the proceedings will be just as important as the performance on the pitch.

Oldham’s Strange Rivalry Against Tranmere

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There are obvious rivalries in football, and some not so obvious. Then there are the really bizarre ones. Tranmere and Oldham lie roughly 60 miles apart, geographically they shouldn’t even figure on the list of footballing rivalries but they do, and this animosity has been around for a considerable length of time.

People who are keen students of history will point back to the 1935/36 season when possibly because of the depression, Christmas appeared to have been cancelled as the two teams faced each other on Christmas Day. Latics must have decided that Christmas cheer had no place on a football pitch and rattled in four goals against Tranmere’s one.

Bizarrely, the two clubs faced each other again the next day and Oldham having made the trip to Birkenhead on Boxing Day put another four past the Tranmere ‘keeper. There was only one slight change from the day before however, they let in thirteen. You will not be surprised to discover that the result remains Oldham’s biggest ever defeat.

That would surely be enough to explain the long running feud, but many supporters will be unaware of that game and to alert them to it might fuel rivalries further. Meetings between the two clubs are pretty fairly evened out with Latics just shading the win total by 34 to 32.

There have been some notable games including the 2-2 draw in the FA Cup in January 1993 when Tranmere’s John Aldridge was sent off and, vented his spleen on the dressing room door. Naturally we sent him the bill for repairs.

Latics fans have always referred to Tranmere supporters as ‘bin dippers’ if further proof were needed of the rivalry.

There are also a fair few players who have played for both sides. Nick Henry ended his playing career at Tranmere after many fine years at Oldham. Clint Hill was signed from Tranmere when Chris Moore was the Oldham chairman as we apparently offered him more money. How times change! Calvin Zola and Reuben Hazell also played for both sides. Currently Tranmere have Ollie Banks and Ishmael Miller who both played for Latics recently and will no doubt be a target for ‘light hearted banter’ especially Banks who Latics fans have a particular dislike of.

One of the more successful managers in Oldham’s recent history was Ronnie Moore who was hounded away from Boundary Park after 58 games, but idolised at Prenton Park where he had two spells as manager.

Whatever the result, let’s hope the game is played in the right spirit and don’t forget to take your bins in!

The Ultimate Oldham Athletic End Of Season Predictor

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Just eleven games remain for Oldham this season which will decide whether they are to finish glorious late finishers or inglorious mid table nonentities. These are the remaining games which we have to negotiate.

Cambridge (A) Cruised easily past these in the fixture at Boundary Park with a cringingly awful team selection so should get something out of this trip. Prediction 2-1 win for Latics. 3 points.

Lincoln (A) Highly unlikely that the League leaders will have an off night. Latics lack of concentration recently is likely to be in evidence again. Prediction 2-0 defeat. 0 points

Tranmere (H) Often a much anticipated fixture with the added bonus of ex  Oldham midfielder Ollie Banks in the Tranmere side. Latics fans see him as something of a chocolate fireguard so he no doubt will get on the scoresheet in the dying seconds. Prediction 1-1. 1 point

Newport (A) It’s nearly 40 years since Oldham travelled to South Wales to face Newport and the ensuing period has seen both teams follow vastly different paths. This season however, Newport have performed well but dropped out of the running for promotion much like Latics. Prediction 1-1. 1 point

Grimsby (H) Grimsby are a side who have dragged themselves out of the relegation places and at one point looked like they might challenge for the play offs. Frankie Bunn’s side easily cruised past The Mariners last September and will be looking to do the same again. Prediction 2-1. 3 points

Colchester (A) Colchester are currently still in with a chance of making the playoffs but whether they still will be in 5 games time is anybody’s guess. What remains certain is that Colchester is still in the back end of nowhere and any Oldham fans making the trip deserve a medal. Prediction 0-1. 3 points (because we always win games when there’s only 50 fans who’ve made the trip)

Swindon (H) Another side who may well be out of the running for the playoffs by the time we face them. Managed by former Latics player/boss Richie Wellens they were members of the Premier League and relegated alongside us in 93/94. It is gratifying to see that we’re not the only club to have fallen spectacularly from grace. Prediction 1-1. 1 point

Cheltenham Town (A) Good Friday usually meant a good tub-thumping local derby but it now means a trip to Gloucestershire on a day when public transport is at a premium. Another team who have had a relatively obscure season and will see anything but the bottom two as a massive achievement. Prediction 0-0. 1 point

Mansfield Town (H) An Easter Monday visit from a team third in the table and less than 65 miles away should ensure a decent away following and given their fairly decent away form, they should leave with all 3 points to. Prediction 0-2. 0 points

Exeter City (A) The only time Oldham fans feel they should be traveling anywhere near Exeter is when they spend a week on an overpriced caravan site in Torquay. Another horrendous away trip for our supporters and given the playoff aspirations of Exeter, we are likely to return empty handed. Prediction 1-0. 0 points

Northampton Town (H) Memories of that day 12 months previous when a draw against Northampton relegated us from League One will no doubt occupy the minds of Latics fans on the last day of the season. There could well be a sterling performance from the on loan players who are leaving. Prediction 4-0. 3 points

That would leave Latics on 63 points, historically over the past years that’s enough to finish around mid-table. Which is the perfect platform for Scholes to build upon next season.

If Bunn Plays This Midfield Today, Tranmere Could Be in Trouble

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I’m not one of those people who pick the team for the weekend from the comfort of my armchair, then throws his hands up in disbelief if the manager’s choice is any different.

However, given the signs of recovery lately, Oldham manager Frankie Bunn must surely recognise that his best line up in midfield practically picks itself. Having gone behind in both of their last two games, it was Oldham’s midfield which buckled down to the task and steered the games back in our favour.

As long as Bunn opts to play 4-4-2 with Miller and Surridge up front, the midfield four must surely be:

Callum Lang

The star player from the last two games with a winner against Hampton and Richmond in the FA cup and a superb strike against Cambridge. The sort of player who can change the game in an instant.

Dan Gardner

Not everybody’s favourite player but when he does the simple things correctly, Gardner can have a big influence on a game.

Jordan Lyden

Another player who caught the eye against Cambridge with his coolly taken goal from 40 yards. Another on-loan player who will be sorely missed if he returns to Aston Villa in January.

Gevaro Nepomuceno

Latics only real versatile player who can operate on either wing. His crossing can be frustrating at times but when he gets it right, Gevaro can be a match-winner.

Football Rivalry And The Illogical Hostility of Its Fans

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If you stood outside Old Trafford and asked every one of the 76,000 entering the ground who their biggest rivals were the answers would be pretty much weighted towards Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal with perhaps one or two European clubs thrown into the mix.

You can absolutely guarantee that not one of them would say Oldham Athletic but if you did the same poll outside Boundary Park (which would arguably take a lot less time) there would definitely be a number of people who would pick Manchester United.

This is because Oldham fans have had to suffer taunts from United supporters whether it be at school, work, the pub or in one case I heard about, an adjoining hospital bed.

I think I should point out that I am well aware that there is a fine line of divide between teams who are rivals and ones that supporters hate. The ‘rivals’ bit seems to have been discarded over the years.

However, given that Oldham have played an awful lot more of the sides outside the Premier League than United, our fans have a much wider choice of teams who could be considered distasteful.

In our house, it was always Tranmere Rovers. For years I thought it had something to do with Oldham’s record defeat of 13-4 on Boxing Day 1935 but my Father always maintained he wasn’t at the match. Even my Mother, who only set foot inside Boundary Park on one occasion always called them ‘Dirty Tranmere’.

Latics fans have referred to the Birkenhead club as ‘bin dippers’ for years so the animosity obviously wasn’t confined to our home.

Whenever I announced that I was going to Prenton Park to watch Latics, it was met with warnings of dire consequences for both me and the team. I’m pleased to report that I always returned in one piece but the same can’t be said for various Latics sides. With both teams now back in the same division, those hostilities may surface again. My hope is for a convincing Oldham victory, our family honour depends on it!