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The FA Trophy is crap, isn’t it? Or, more accurately, we’re crap in the FA Trophy. I’d really like it if we never had to compete in it again.
Mellon had made it clear before the game that this competition wasn’t a priority and he’d be taking the opportunity to give some fringe players a run out, so the line up wasn’t that great a surprise. Charsley and Garner were given a starting place as they both recover from injuries, Moloney got a rare start, and Khan and Hammond both made the first XI.
The weather was horrendous, with a number of games, including what was due to be the last ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, falling victim to Storm Darragh. Our game on a sixth form college pitch in Middlesbrough survived, much to everyone’s delight. Huge kudos if you made the trip, and no one can blame if you sacked most of the match off and went to the bar.
📸 Oldham Athletic. James Norwood rocking the Zapata look.
There was no Latics Player commentary due to the lack of adequate media facilities, but Teesside radio station The Red were covering the game, and they were good fun to listen to. They apologised for not being able to pronounce Uchegbulam’s name, and people texted in telling them it was fine to just call him Jes. I told them it was easy enough to pronounce if you sing it to the tune of 99 Red Balloons (I am determined to get that going as his song), which they were game enough to have a go at, with limited success.
It was quite sweet how they were clearly in awe of having supporters of such a massive club listening, and quite right too. They were taken aback when ‘Chris from France’ (hi to the French Latics, btw, enjoy your Christmas get-together today, have a few glasses of red for me) messaged in – “Someone’s listening in France? Nah, you’re winding me up!” Lads, you don’t know the half of it. Texts came in from New Zealand, and from ‘Mark, from Estonia, but currently listening in Cape Verde’. Yes, the same Mark who was in Azerbaijan the other week.
Credit to them for recognising the magnitude of their opponents: “Listen, this is Oldham Athletic. They were in the Premier League. Of course they’ve got supporters all over the world.”
All of which made it even more of a kick in the minge when we conceded. I can't tell too much about the goal, or indeed how the whole second half went, because the highlights are really dark and wobbly, but maybe that's for the best. Maybe I don't need to see us concede from a corner against a Northern Premier League side in high definition.
📸 Stockton Town
It certainly looked like - and sounded like, at the time - Stockton had the better of the chances and the goal had been coming. In case you were in any doubt about how seriously we were taking this competition, at 1-0 down, 'chasing' the game, Mellon elected to not bring on Fondop or Norwood, but instead gave a debut to youth team player Abz Muhammed. Fair play. Hope it hasn't put the lad off football for life.
To put the icing on the cake, in the 95th minute Stockton hit us on the break, and we looked like we quite frankly could not be arsed tracking back. 2-0 against Former Premier League Side Oldham Athletic. Good luck to them. I hope they had a great night.
📸 Stockton Town
This isn’t even the first tine I’ve had to endure my team losing to Stockton Town this season. They beat Prescot Cables 3-2 in August. I’m praying they get battered at Hope Street in April. Best of luck to them for the rest of the season other than that, especially in the next round of the FA Trophy.
A competition we'd rather not be in, conditions no one would enjoy playing in, a game no one really felt like watching. I can't be arsed saying any more about it. Here's hoping we swap it for the League Cup next year.
I'd also really like us to not be in the National League Cup next year, and I said I was going to completely ignore it, but it seems churlish to not congratulate the nine youth team players who were in the squad that beat Blackburn U21s on Tuesday, and especially Teixeria and Moore for scoring. Theo Andrew making the journey from ball boy to the first team is a lovely story, and TheReal_AQ will not forgive me if I fail to mention Khan's goal-line clearance. Let's do our best to be nowhere near this competition next year, though, eh?
📸 Oldham Athletic
The team made their usual Christmas visit to the children's ward, and the pictures were as heartwarming as ever. I love how the little kids and babies always look slightly startled by Chaddy, and who can blame them.
📸 Oldham Athletic
Wealdstone at home today. No longer a bogey team, and Reid isn't playing, so no W's in that particular chat. No excuses for not winning comfortably today. Listen, this is Oldham Athletic. The be all and end all's the league, so play like a team that's planning to piss it. KTMFFF.
📸 Oldham Athletic
Written by Arlene Finnigan
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