Woking Match Blues

This is not what good looks like, Micky. This is not what promotion form looks like. This is shit. This is a deeply disappointing second half of the season, for the second year running. Is this just what Oldham do now?

I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t bothered watching the highlights or Mellon’s post-match interview. Apologies for the lack of preparation, but I cannot face reliving that. Even by the standards of our post-Christmas form, Tuesday night was horribly dispiriting.

The starting line-up, once again, had us all scratching our heads. What was the formation? Were we experimenting with 2-6-2? Was Kitching playing in a back 3? Was Worthington playing at right-back? It’s great that Hudson’s recovered from injury, but what had Donaghy done to deserve being dropped?

One big positive was Lundstram returning to the starting line-up, and he showed us what we’ve been missing pretty much immediately. He put a great cross into the box for Fondop 3 minutes in, Mikey’s shot was saved but fell to Harratt, who… OK, look. I’m sorry, Kian, son, I don’t want to sound like I’m taking the piss, honestly, I don’t, but if you’re going to keep scoring goals that can only possibly be described as ‘a poacher’s goal’, you are really not leaving me any option but to use that phrase.

📸 Thomas Lee Stacey

A brilliant start, a great opportunity to go on and get a big statement win in the run up to the play offs. So what did we do? We changed formation, we moved Harratt out wide for some fucking reason, and we retreated into ourselves again and looked shit-scared of the ball.

We all hoped that it was just nerves (although why you would have nerves when you’re 1-0 up at home to Woking I’m not sure) but ooh la la things went to pieces in the second half. Kitching berated Uchegbulam for missing a header in the move that led to the equaliser, but I’m not sure Jes is meant to be our last line of defence. It was shite defending all round, and it was about to get worse.

It was unfair on Donaghy that he got dropped when he hasn’t done much wrong, but I didn’t think before the game that it was a disastrous decision, and I thought some of the reactions on social media were over the top. Unfortunately, the answer to the people asking (a bit harshly) ‘when’s Hudson’s clanger gonna be?’ was 58 minutes. Having arguably been too slow to come for the ball for the first Woking goal, he came sprinting out, leaving Walker an empty net to lob the ball into.

Mellon reacted by bringing Garner, Yoganathan and Pett on for Harratt (thought bringing him off was an odd move, he’d looked the player most likely to score), Conlon and Rossiter. Garner made a nuisance of himself and had the ball in the net, but it was offside. Pritchard came on for Worthington, whose natural position remains a mystery, Uchegbulam tried to chip their keeper, we had shots, but it just felt like it was never going to happen. It was painfully disheartening, despite the Athleticos’ best efforts to keep things upbeat by singing Three Little Birds for the last ten minutes.

Did anyone else notice that Hobson was holding his left hip and struggling to run for the last 20 minutes, by the way? Why on earth was he left on when he was clearly not moving freely and we had Sutton on the bench? Mellon has complained about how unlucky we’ve been with injuries; maybe it’s not just bad luck.

📸 Phill Smith

Shout out to the bloke who was behind us on the way out of the ground telling his kid, “now remember, if your mum asks, you didn’t hear dad saying any of those naughty words”. And an even bigger shout out to his kid, who was only little but is already a skilled wind-up merchant: “so you didn’t say any naughty words, unless mum asks?” “NO! ESPECIALLY IF MUM ASKS!”

I didn’t bother listening to the post-match interview. I could not be arsed. I don’t think I missed much.

I don’t think sacking Mellon now is the right thing to do, it feels knee-jerk and I’m not sure how much a new manager could do at this stage of the season. But I’m rapidly losing faith that he’s going to lead us to promotion, either this season or next season.

Thank God for our women’s team, who showed the lads how it’s done by following up their 2-1 win at league leaders Hyde United (Hyde’s only league defeat of the season) and their 9-0 demolition of AFC Chorlton with a 2-0 victory over Mancunian Unity B in their final home game of the season, with goals from Caitlin Knowles and Holly Forder-Brown. Well done, girls, onwards and upwards. Their final game of the season is against Rochdale at Hopwood Hall College on Sunday at 2pm. Good luck, here’s hoping we end the season in style.

📸 Oldham Athletic

Huge well done also to everyone who took part in the sleep out at Boundary Park last night to raise money for EGG, Oldham Foodbank, NorthCare Charity and OACT. You can donate here. My niece took part in a junior sleep out at Goodison for Everton in the Community, and thoughts and prayers with my sister and whoever else was tasked with attempting to persuade her to actually sleep.

I’m off to Prescot today, where I’m hoping Cables will avenge our FA Trophy defeat by beating Stockton. Kudos to you if you’re making the journey to Yeovil. Have a great day, safe journey, and if you see Binman with his top off again can you please tell him to put some sunblock on? There are 5 games left. Let’s make them count. KTMFF.

Written by Arlene Finnigan