📝 Match Preview: Oldham Athletic (A)

All you need to know ahead of Tuesday night's mat

22 March 2021

Exeter City will be looking to quickly return to winning ways as they make the trip to Boundary Park to face Oldham Athletic in a 7pm kick-off.

The Grecians come into the match on the back of a pair of narrow defeats to Cheltenham Town and Tranmere Rovers and will be looking for three points to put the promotion push back on track.

City take on an Oldham side that are now managed by a familiar face in Keith Curle. The Latics, who sit in 17th place in League Two, picked up an impressive point against in-form Bradford City on Saturday.

The Grecians will certainly be without Joel Randall who suffered an injury after scoring on Saturday.

PIERCE SWEENEY'S THOUGHTS

Ahead of the match, Exeter City defender Pierce Sweeney says the Grecians have to focus on the next after losing their last two matches to promotion rivals.

"It's important that we see it as twelve games left and a lot of points to play for." said Pierce."

"We have to take one game at a time and the next game is Oldham, but it's not going to be easy under any circumstances.

"Thankfully you haven't got time to dwell on defeats with the games coming so thick and fast, so it's good for us that we have a game on Tuesday and Saturday, and we are looking to go to Oldham fresh and confident as we are in a good place and we are a good team.

"People may think we are punching above our weight as we didn't make a lot of signing in the summer, and we've got a lot of young players in the squad, but we are a good team and we have to show that on Tuesday."

HOW TO WATCH

Sadly fans can't be at the match but you can get the next best thing by purchasing a match pass at the cost of just £10 in the UK. The stream includes Exeter City Club commentary score overlay and replays.

To purchase a match pass please click here.

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MATCHDAY COVERAGE

As usual, we’ll have the match covered across our social media channels and we’ll have a post-match interview with manager Matt Taylor and a player as they reflect on the result.

Exeter City on social media

THE STADIUM

Name: Boundary Park
Capacity: 13,513
Year opened: 1896
Address: Furtherwood Road, Oldham, Lancashire, OL1 2PB

The third highest football stadium in the football league (After the Hawthorns and Vale Park), Boundary Park sits at over 500ft above sea level, but the record it does hold is that being the coldest football ground in the country, earning the nickname “Ice Station Zebra”.

In 1986, Joe Royle installed an artificial pitch at Boundary Park, to help generate more income and in 1989/90 the Latics had what is regarded as the clubs best ever season, reaching the final of the League Cup and Semi’s of the FA Cup, beating Arsenal, Everton and Villa along the way. When more regulations came in at the start of the 21st century, Oldham were forced to revert back to grass.

The Latics have had several attempts at moving away from Boundary Park including as recently as 2008, however fans rejected the notion as the new stadium had a Manchester postcode rather than one an Oldham one. In 2019, the new owner also realised he does not own the stadium so has also threatened to leave the historic ground.

SEASONS SO FAR

OLDHAM'S PREVIOUS MATCH

Bradford City 0-0 Oldham Athletic | March 20, 2021

Oldham earned a hard-fought point in their fourth fixture against Bradford City this season.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER

Exeter City 1-2 Oldham Athletic | November 21, 2020

Randell Williams’ opener was cancelled out by George Blackwood’s curling effort and Danny Rowe’s 40-yard piledriver to end City’s 13 game unbeaten run.

Match Reports

📝 Match Report: Oldham Athletic 2 City 1

Our take as City are beaten on the road

23 March 2021

The Grecians fall to defeat at Boundary Park, beaten by Oldham Athletic 2-1.

Despite 24 shots from the Grecians, they couldn’t quite get themselves free from Keith Curle’s Oldham, who capitalised on their few chances.

Exeter City Manager Matt Taylor named four changes from the side that fell to defeat against Tranmere on Saturday, with Joel Randall missing out after his injury he sustained in the weekend’s game.

The Grecians started bright in the first half, with the first chance coming through Matt Jay in the fourth minute. The chance came through Pierce Sweeney who found Jake Taylor before a cross was swung into the danger zone, for MJ to connect, but send it over the crossbar.

The first half was an end-to-end affair throughout, with chances at both ends for the sides. Bowman and Caprice linking up well down the right and causing all sorts of problems for the Oldham back line.

Exeter’s biggest chance of the half came at thirty-four minutes, Jay finding Ryan Bowman in the area but he miss-hit and the ball fell into the hands of goalkeeper Walker.

Almost straight away down the other end of the pitch the hosts brought themselves into the lead with their first clear chance of the game. The ball came in from a corner, and Jameson was left at the near post to head home for the Latics.

With the urgency to draw the team level going into half time, Caprice had a stunning chance just before the break. The right-back bursting from his own area and letting the shot fly and only narrowly missing the back of the net. Despite having the best of the play, the Grecians went into the break a goal behind.

The Grecians’ lined up the same going into the second half with all the urgency to get something from the game, with the hosts making their first change.

Archie Collins had a brilliant chance ten minutes into the second half, taking one of his signature long range shots- but the Latics goalkeeper managing to get a hand to it.

Much like the first goal for the hosts, it was after a key chance for the Grecians that they managed to get one for themselves. McCalmont picked the ball up from a corner on the volley and thundered the ball under the bar to make it 2-0.

Once again, the Grecians looked eager to respond to the mounting challenge to get something out of the game.

Matt Taylor made four changes in quick succession as he looked to change the system to favour Exeter’s chances,

Jack Sparkes pulled a goal back for the Grecians as he tapped in low from a cross in the box to get his second league goal of his career.

Quickly after the first, it could have been a second after a double save from the Oldham goalkeeper with chaos in his 6-yard box in what became a stunning performance by Walker to keep his side in the game.

The Grecians threw everything at the game, with Oldham pressing hard on the counter looking to further their lead and impress their recently appointed manager.

Despite, five additional minutes and another Exeter substitute, it was just not meant to be, and City return to Devon with nothing to show for their efforts.

Exeter City are back at St James Park in Sky Bet League Two action as they face Salford City in a 1pm kick off.

Oldham Athletic: Walker (GK), Piergianni (C), Whelan, Keillor-Dunn (Tasdemir 46’), Fage (Diarra 90’), Jameson, McAleny, Baden, Hilßner (Borthwick-Jackson 70’), Adams (Luamba 84’), McCalmont.

Unused subs: Bilboe (GK), Grant, Ntambwe, Da Silva.

Bookings: Walker

Exeter City: Andresson (GK), Caprice (Key 55’), Sparkes, Atangana (Page 59’), McArdle (Willmott 59’), Taylor (C) (Fisher 90’), Collins, Bowman (Seymour 59’), Jay, Sweeney, Hartridge.

Unused Subs: Lee (GK), Parkes.

Bookings: Collins

Referee: Sam Purkiss