Latics will play the first of two games at Boundary Park this week as they face Bolton Wanderers in Sky Bet League Two (7:00 p.m. KO).
Harry Kewell’s team is in full swing after a good comeback at Carlisle United at the weekend with Marcel Hilssner, Dylan Bahamboula and Carl Piergianni in the scorers’ list in the 3-1 win at Brunton Park.
Form guide
Bolton are in good shape right now. You have won six of the last seven games and the last five have all been wins.
That formidable form has put them in the battle for an immediate return to League One, with them now occupying the final playoff spot.
Last time they left it late, and Shaun Miller scored the 93approx Minute winner to give them all three points against Barrow.
Latics’ formidable attack will lose its job as the Wanderers managed to take out the opposition in five of their last seven games.
The last six of the Trotters:
- Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Barrow
- Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Scunthorpe United
- Southend United 0-1 Bolton Wanderers
- Mansfield Town 2-3 Bolton Wanderers
- Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Stevenage
- Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Morecambe
head to head
Meeting: 56
Latics wins: 16
Bolton wins: 27
Draw: 13
For: 71
Against: 99
A dramatic 95the Zak Dearnley’s minute winner was the difference when the two teams clashed earlier this season.
Oldham took the lead through Ben Garrity but was pushed back just five minutes later by a goal from Delfouneso. Dearnley came in 85the Minute and scored an absolutely decisive goal that gave Harry Kewell his first league win and lifted his team out of the bottom two.
Team news
It looks like Zak Dearnley is still out for the time being, with another injury setback along with Ben Garrity.
Marcus Barnes and Andrea Badan are still battling last week’s blows and could be out as well.
Interesting information
- There are two wins on the go for Latics against Bolton – 2-1 (A) in October 2020 and 1-0 (H) in April 2017.
Tonight’s game:
- We are 15. to 7.
- We have 11 wins out of their 13th
- We have 5 ties to their 8.
- We have 38 points to their 47.
- We scored 49 to their 39 points.
- We took 54 out of their 40.
- They won five on the go and are unbeaten in their last seven (S6, D1).
- We are W2 D1 L3 in our last 6.
- If Bobby Grant hits, it will be his 100th career goal.
- CBJ is on 98 career appearances and counting. If he starts, it will be his 20th start for Latics.
- It will also be DKD’s 40th career appearance when he plays. If he starts, also his 20th start.
- If Harry Clarke starts, it will be his 20th start on his 20th birthday.
- When Sido Jombati plays, it will be his 25th club appearance.
- If Conor McAleny plays it would be his 25th league game.
Watch out for
Former Oldham man Eoin Doyle is likely to pose a major threat to whites.
Doyle joined his current club in the summer transfer window that was just gone and after a relatively slow start, he’s starting to really gain a foothold.
He has scored 12 league goals this season, making him the league’s sixth top scorer.
His pedigree at this level is undoubted and he was an integral part of the Swindon Town squad that rose to League One last season scoring 26 goals despite the season ending prematurely.
The 32-year-old began his career in Ireland, playing for Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers before moving to Scotland where he joined Hibernian.
The Dublin-born goalscorer had his first experience of English football when he joined Chesterfield in May 2013.
He scored 13 times in his first season with the Spireites and contributed to the club’s promotion to League One.
Doyle got off to a brilliant start in the next season and as such won a transfer to Cardiff City in the winter transfer window
He struggled to find a similar form in Wales and was loaned to Preston North End where his deal was eventually made permanent. While at Preston, Doyle enjoyed a successful loan period at Boundary Park.
He joined Bradford City in August 2018, then signed on loan and then permanently for Swindon Town.
In July 2020, Doyle joined Bolton Wanderers on a three-year contract.
Doyle isn’t the only link between the two clubs. David Wheater played for the Wanderers over 200 times between 1996 and 1998 and the Latics legend John Sheridan played for the Whites
In the shelter
Ian Evatt is the man in the shelter for the visitors.
Evatt had a mixed start to his brief managerial career. In his first post he was appointed caretaker of Chesterfield in 2018, but this ended with the descent of the Spireites to the National League.
In his second job, however, the 38-year-old had great success. He managed to bring Barrow back to the Football League after a 48-year absence in his second season as the club’s manager.
Obviously impressed with what the young head coach had accomplished with Barrow, Bolton identified Evatt as the man they believed could lead them back to the premier league and successfully turned to Barrow for Evatt’s services acquire.
As a player, Evatt is best known for being part of the Blackpool squad that reached the Premier League under Ian Holloway.
Match Officials
The referee for the game is James Oldham.
So far this season he has directed 24 games and distributed 64 bookings with two red cards.
The last game he directed at a Latics game was in a 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient in February 2020.
He is assisted by Alistair Nelson and Gary Hilton, with Declan Bourne as fourth official.
Sky betting odds
Bolton has been assisted to continue his hot run of form and is rated 5/4 for this.
Latics are available 15/8 for league wins and 5/2 for the draw.
A replay of Oldham’s 2-1 win earlier in the season is 9/1.
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So follow the game
Schedule news
02032021 Bolton iFollow Match Pass
March 2, 2021
Since the game is classified as behind closed doors, fans can tune in to a live, commentary stream match for all subscribers on iFollow Latics while Roy Butterworth and Mike Leyland lead you through the action.
This game is available as a live stream for a fee of £ 10 by clicking here.
In the current environment, the dependency on match streaming is greater than ever.
As a result, iFollow generates one of the few revenue streams available to clubs through these financial challenges.
Piracy – and illegal streaming of games – not only creates the risk of potential criminal activity, but also has a greater financial impact on clubs while fans cannot participate in games.
The EFL campaign aims not only to get the message across that piracy is immoral and illegal, but that it also financially harms clubs in all divisions.
More information about the campaign and iFollow can be found here.
Alternatively, fans can follow the game with live updates on the club’s official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.
Oldham Athletic would like to make it clear that all games are still strictly behind closed doors and spectators are not allowed in.
There are extensive guidelines for the safety of officials and players during events.
It is important that you do not travel or attempt to visit Boundary Park that day, especially given the lockdown restrictions in place.
