[Archived] Oldham away

[JBiz]

Saturday we take on Oldham at boundary park. A regular fixture throughout 70s and 80s, I imagine many rovers fans will have fond memories of this short trip. This fixture has only been played a few times in 25 (including an FA trophy game last season) years, the last senior tie coming in early league cup rounds in 2001 after promotion under Souness.

Corrado Grabbi was substituted in that game but some might remember Darren Dunning scoring for rovers in a 2-0 victory at Ewood. 

This Rovers also team possessed two future (possibly three in future) managers of the team... 

The more memorable fixture against Oldham for me was the game away in 1993/94. I remember a crisp breeze, one of my first away trips (still only 7 at this point) and an Alan Shearer brace to accompany the bovril. Strangely, this was the first game I remember actually learning the referees name; Joe Worrall. You can imagine why...

https://youtu.be/QlA0hEVGEVU

As for Saturday, I hope for 3 points and another clean sheet for Raya who has only shipped three away all season. I'd plump for a similar lineup to our previous two games, with potentially a recall for Conway if he is fit.

Travel advice;

https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/club/visitors-guide/

Oldham's key men are Richie Wellens, the midfielder who has played up and down the leagues and the free scoring Eoin Doyle. Jack Byrne also turns out for Oldham. They have won their last two games and sit 19th on ten points.

Score guess: 1-2 (Dack at the double)

Ps - if anyone knows the local bars/pubs/cafe's - I'll update this after. I'm planning on going to Manchester and using the metro.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Just had a look at an Oldham board....we're not exactly their favourite other team to put it mildly.Maybe due to the fact we used to take more away fans there than they had home support!

1-2

[Mattyblue]

2700 sold out of 3500 so far.

[tomphil]

Been on about this a time or two when I've seen some of our fans going on about Oldham and why some of their lot seem to detest Rovers. It was a bit of a keen rivalry back in the day for a decade when there was no Burnley, Bolton, PNE, Wigan, Blackpool in sight.  Regular fixture, only local team we played and often Easter fixtures so it could get a bit tasty. 

We always seemed to stuff them at home and they stuffed us away but they had a plastic pitch for a time of course. Hard to believe but they left us in the shade when they finally got a team together to master that @#/? of a pitch, all the big scalps fell there regularly. Before that though they were just about one of the most unlikely teams to ever make top flight and one of a small cluster who we always had a bigger support than.

Another team and crowd that will raise it's game for the visit of Rovers and another tough afternoon in store, first goal crucial as always.

Oldham 2   Rovers  2

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Andy Richie...the tormentor of Rovers fans on a freezing open Boundary Park terrace.

Little T!@! 

[AJW]

Nothing to fear , yes they have had some positive results lately but should be no match for us , I can see another repeat of the Rochdale game , massive Rovers support and a comfortable 3-0 win Dack Samuel and Chapman on the scoresheet 

[philipl]

Remember a Boxing Day fixture in the Premier League in the snow when Rovers took more fans than the turnstiles could cope with. Was outside in the queue watching Rovers fans throwing snowballs and celebrating us going 2-0 up. In the end I hid my scarf and sneaked into the home paddock- after Shearer produced a sublime piece of skill and pinpoint cross (he was the most brilliant crosser of the ball when he drifted wide), an Oldham fan turned to me and said- "You've got to hand it to him- the B*stard."

Good old days of Oldham v Rovers in the Premier League.

We SHOULD win but still feel very nervous about this one, not least because the Oldham players are currently going unpaid. Must win for sanity's sake when you look at the fixtures of all the clubs around us- any of the top clubs not winning this weekend are going to be looking at a big divide. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'll be there along with my son and grandson. It'll be the first time all three of us have been to a Rovers game.

We're not playing consistently well enough for long enough in the game to go there with lots of confidence at the moment. I'm expecting a 1-1 draw.

[blueboy3333]

Richie Wellens is more of a key manager than a key player these days

From the grounds guide (not sure how up to date) :-

http://www.tothe92.co.uk/groundguide/oldham.html

Where To Drink

There's numerous pubs within a close proximity and the general 'away fans pub' is the BlueBell, a small friendly little place which welcomes children and has a play area for them. It's just out of the Car Park and right and across the road. Also there is a few other pubs at the top of Sheepfoot Lane (The big road the opposite side of the big car park), if you walk up that hill and turn right you'll see the Old Grey Mare.

 

[blueboy3333]

http://stats.football.co.uk/head_to_head/oldham_athletic/vs/blackburn_rovers/index.shtml

Like TP said, we've had a few hammerings there down the years (70's and 80's especially) I went in the 80's with my dad. Think it may have been the 1-0 defeat in 80/81.

[philipl]

That 5-0 defeat on Friday 13th April '79 pretty well sealed our relegation.

[nathan_rovers1]

If I order a ticket on Friday, will I be able to pick it up at Oldham? Given that I will be travelling back from abroad for the game. 

 

[tomphil]

12 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Andy Richie...the tormentor of Rovers fans on a freezing open Boundary Park terrace.

Little T!@! 

If that was that Friday night game I remember it well, a couple of pals who supported Liverpool came with me and one of them still goes on about it to this day. 'Welcome to a pleasant evening' said the stadium announcer whilst the scoreboard behind said -2 or something we were literally frozen to the spot. They'd made the away end into 3 separate pens by then and Rovers quickly filled two of them and the OB were refusing to open the 3rd for some god only knows reason so it was getting a bit unpleasant never mind dangerous. I think it was post Hillsborough as well so even more baffling the keaners but typical of those days were the fuzz looked to create tensions rather than keep a lid on it.

Anyway by the end I think the scoreboard said 2 or 3 nil to Oldham as usual and we got lost on the trains home after ducking a big group of City Youth who'd kindly turned up at Piccadilly to say hello to the Rovers !. One of the lads dads came and picked us up from some platform near Rochdale or somewhere, he never came watching Rovers again and stayed in his Anfield armchair instead we're he still sits today 

Great days, never seen us win there despite half a dozen or so visits so about time that changed !

[JHRover]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41500852

Oldham players as of last week hadn't been paid for September.

Things could get really embarrassing if we can't beat an Oldham side who not only aren't as good as us but also haven't been paid. The league's most expensive and best paid squad against one that wasn't paid last month.

[nathan_rovers1]

14 minutes ago, JHRover said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41500852

Oldham players as of last week hadn't been paid for September.

Things could get really embarrassing if we can't beat an Oldham side who not only aren't as good as us but also haven't been paid. The league's most expensive and best paid squad against one that wasn't paid last month.

They have won two on the bounce.... 

[chaddyrovers]

My team for this game would be the same starting 11 that started the last league game apart from Antonsson out and Chapman in

[4000Holes]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

My team for this game would be the same starting 11 that started the last league game apart from Antonsson out and Chapman in

Why Chaddy?  Please give some reasons, as Antonsson has been scoring.  Not questioning your opinion but follow it up with some reasons as you can't just leave like that as the reason maybe you just don't like him?  I am sure that is not the case but give us your reasoning.

[Tom]

Always nervy after an extended break, hopefully we haven't been too complacent and it doesn't take us long to get started

When we start slow we struggle to recover!

[Irishrover213]

This will be though Oldham picked up 2 wins on the bounce and will be up for this. Byrne will be out to prove a point against us.

Doyle the striker isn't bad either. Hopefully we get 3 points 

[bazza]

Oldham were one of the founder members of the Premier League. I think they were in favour of it being a "closed shop" with no relegation and no promotion from Division 2 below it.

I bet Venkys would have gone along with that.

We must win this game if we intend going for automatic promotion.

2-1 to Rovers.

[phooey]

I remember going to Oldham in 81 boxing Day I think.We won 3-0 it was the first time I had ever seen the near post head on from a corner.we scored twice from it.Oldham just didn't know what was happening. Not sure if we were the first team to try it?

[McClarky]

Been to Oldham quite a few times but never seen us win there.  Particular remember a 4-2 thumping during 1 of our failed 80s promotion pushes on that horrible plastic pitch with the ball bouncing around all over the place until it ended up in our net.  I'm sure our players had lost before they kicked off on that pitch back then. 

[1864roverite]

2-0 Rovers

 

Looking ahead to this match 

[blueboy3333]

 

[Blow-in]

12 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

, if you walk up that hill and turn right you'll see the Old Grey Mare.

 

That place ain't what it used to be.