TOWN welcome Oldham Athletic and their new manager Lee Johnson to The County Ground on Good Friday.
After a goal-less draw last time out against Notts County, Town will be hoping to kick-start the Easter period with a positive result against the Latics.
THE VIEW
As one of the newest manager’s in the Football League pyramid, Kevin MacDonald wished counterpart Lee Johnson all the best in his first foray into management.
He said: “He’s cutting his teeth into management at a young age and good luck to him.”
The manager then dismissed suggestions that he may pick his team this weekend with one eye on the promotion clash with high-flying Doncaster on Easter Monday.
“Not at all,” he said. “We’ve got everybody that we can get fit. We’ve got to pick the best team we can then after the game we’ve got to dust them off then pick the best team for Monday.
“The most important game at the moment is the Oldham game on Friday. We can only take it one game at a time at the moment.”
THE STORY SO FAR
The Latics won on their last outing against Hartlepool. A 3-0 win giving Lee Johnson the perfect start to his tenure as manager.
Town’s win at Boundary Park in December started a run of six defeats in seven games for Oldham that eventually cost Paul Dickov his job.
The start of 2013 did bring some joy to the Latics support. After an impressive victory at Nottingham Forest in round three of the FA Cup, they welcomed Premier League giants Liverpool to Boundary Park in the next round. An inspired performance saw them triumph 3-2 and set up a tie with fellow Merseyside big-guns, Everton.
After forcing a replay, the Latics were beaten 3-1 at Goodison Park. Despite an upturn in fortunes in between the two FA Cup ties, three straight defeats preceded Johnson’s first victory as manager.
LAST TIME OUT
Town were already relegated to League Two the last time Oldham were in Wiltshire in April 2011. A brace from Chris Taylor condemned Town to 2-0 defeat.
A brace from Billy Paynter set the tone the last time Town beat the Latics on home turf. Charlie Austin and Danny Ward also contributed as Town ran out 4-2 winners in February 2010.
Oldham were the first visitors to The County Ground in the Premier League in August 1993. On that occasion, a late goal handed the visitors a 1-0 win.
TICKETS
Buy your tickets for Friday’s game today – call the STFC Box Office on 0871 876 1993 or visit them in person. Alternatively, you can buy online by clicking here.
