Oldham Athletic
v Wrexham

Northern Area Final First Leg

Tuesday 15 February 2005 @ 19:45

THE VENUE
Address: Boundary Park, Furtherwood Road, Oldham, Lancashire, OL1 2PA.
Telephone Number: 0870 753 2000 Fax Number: 0161 627 5915
Web: www.oldhamathletic.co.uk E-mail Address: info@oldhamathletic.co.uk
Jump To: Venue, Travel Guide, Ticket and Ground Info, Pre Match Analysis, Match Preview

 

TRAVEL GUIDE
Directions from Wrexham: Head towards Chester on the A483 and join the A55 eastbound heading onto the M53. At junction 11 of the M53 branch left to pick up the M56 eastbound towards Manchester. At junction 9 of the M56 branch left and keep in left hand lanes to join the M6 northbound and after passing junction 21 take left hand lanes to branch left at junction 21A to join the M62 towards Manchester. At junction 12 of the M62 take left hand lanes to pick up the M60 ring road following signs for West Yorkshire. At junction 15 take right hand lanes to continue of the M60 and at junction 18 continue forward to rejoin the M62. Leave the M62 at junction 20 turning right at the roundabout for the A627(M) towards Oldham. At the junction with the A663 leave at the slip road and at the roundabout take the first exit onto the A663. Straight on at the traffic lights and remember to keep your speed to 40 mph as there is a speed camera on this road. Take your first right into Hilbre Avenue and Boundary park will be ahead of you. Distance = 67 miles; time = 1 hour 15 minutes.

Use the form below to plan your journey to Oldham and press the next button:
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Car Parking: There is a huge car park at the ground and only costs £2.00.
By Train: Out of the three stations Oldham Mumps is a none starter as it is 45 minutes from the ground. If you are travelling via Manchester then Oldham Wernerth is the best bet but if you are travelling from Liverpool, Lancashire or Yorkshire then head to Mills Hills. If travelling to Manchester then you will end up at Piccadilly and you will then have to catch a Metrolink to Victoria to continue your journey from here. From Wernerth it is a 15 minute walk to the ground. Exit the station turning right into Featherstall Road South passing through one set of lights, a small roundabout with a Tescos until you reach the large roundabout where you turn left into Chadderton Way. Cross Chadderton Way using the subway and by the B&Q warehouse turn right and the ground is ahead of you, although you have to walk down the side of the ground to get to the away end. Trains do run from Manchester Victoria to Rochdale via Mills Hills but check that the service actually stops at the station. The plus side of Mills Hills other than being closer to the ground is that it passes two decent pubs en-route. On leaving the station head towards the traffic lights where you will pass the Rose of Lancaster on Burnley Lane. At the set of lights with by the school turn left and keep going until you reach the second pub called the Chadderton Park Inn. The ground is now in view and at the roundabout head in the direction of the ground and this leads you into the away end.
To plan your train journey to Oldham use the form below:
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Get Train Times

Away Travel Club: Coaches leave the Racecourse at 17:15 and cost £8.00 per person. To book call in at the club shop or by phone on 01978 366388. Please note a booking fee is applicable with credit card orders.
By Bus: From Manchester catch the 181, 182 and 24 services to Bury and from Oldham catch the 408 bus or the 409 from the opposite direction.
Places to Drink: The nearest pub is on the corner of the ground called the The Clayton Arms. It serves Lees beers and food but as it is only small it does get crowded as kick off approaches. For other pubs you want to look on Rochdale Road by turning left by the newsagents at the top of Sheepfoot Lane. 100 yards down here you will find the Old Grey Mare and further down on the right is The White Hart. If you turn right at the end of the road you will find the Queens. If you are heading from Mills Hills station then you pass the Rose of Lancaster and the Chadderton Park Inn.
Places to Eat: Food is good inside the ground and you must try one of the Pukka Pies at £1.50 a throw. Nearby the new retail park includes a KFC, McDonalds, Burger King and Pizza Hut.
Cash Machines: The nearest cash machine is a Nat West at the Royal Oldham Hospital on Rochdale Road and is under half a mile away.
Jump To: Venue, Travel Guide, Ticket and Ground Info, Pre Match Analysis, Match Preview


TICKET AND GROUND INFO
General: On every occasion I have visited Oldham in the past it has been freezing due to the swirling wind as the ground is situated on top of an hill. With the match in August there should not be the same porblem this year but that does depend on the forecast. Wrap up warm as the ground is at the top of an hill and the swirling wind does get around the wind shields on the away stand. The stand offers a decent view of the pitch and the facilities are also good. The stand is sometimes shared with home supporters.
Ticket Office: 0870 753 2000
Seats: Rochdale Road End - Adults £18.00, OAPs/Under 16s £9.00
Standing: None - all seated.
Disabled Facilities: 23 dedicated parking spaces at the large car park at the ground and it is level access to the stadium from here. There are 12 spaces in the away end at the back of the Rochdale Road Stand with helpers sitting alongside. There are 2 adapted toilets in the stand although the catering facilities are not dedicated but steward assistance is available. There are 3 visual spaces for away fans in the main stand with commentary providing by local hospital radio. Entrance is £18 for the disabled but the helper is admitted for free. The DSA contact is Judith Lane and she can be contacted on 0161 624 4972 or judithlane@oldhamathletic.co.uk.
Programme and Fanzines: Official programme costs £2.00
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PRE MATCH ANALYSIS
CURRENT FORM - THE LAST FIVE GAMES

Oldham Athletic

 Wrexham
Opposition Competition Score Opposition Competition Score
Bournemouth (a) League 1 0-4 Torquay (h) League 1 1-1
Blackpool (a) League 1 0-2 Walsall (a) League 1 2-2
Swindon (h) League 1 1-2 Doncaster (h) League 1 0-0
Bolton (h) FA Cup 4 0-1 Hereford (a) LDV Vans N SF 2-1
Tranmere (h) LDV Vans N SF 1-1 Chesterfield (a) League 1 4-2
Overall Overall
W D L F A GD W D L F A GD
0 1 4 2 10 -8 2 3 0 9 6 +3
THE SEASON SO FAR - LEAGUE RECORD
Oldham Athletic Wrexham
Pld W D L F A GD Pts Pos Pld W D L F A GD Pts Pos
31 10 6 15 43 51 -8 .3 18 32 9 11 12 39 57 -18 28 22
THE DANGER MEN - TOP GOAL SCORERS
Oldham Athletic Wrexham
Player League Cup Total Player League Cup Total
Chris Killen 7 4 11 Juan Ugarte 7 1 8
Scott Vernon 7 0 7 Chris Llewellyn 4 4 8
Kevin Betsy 5 0 5 Hector Sam 5 3 8
Neil Kilkenny 5 0 5 Dennis Lawrence 5 2 7
David Eyres 3 2 5 Chris Armstrong 7 0 7
Jermaine Johnson 4 0 4 Andy Holt 4 1 5

THE HARD MEN - WORST DISCIPLINE

Oldham Athletic

 Wrexham
Player Yellow Card Red Card Player Yellow Card Red Card
Jermaine Johnson 5 1 Chris Armstrong 6 1
David Eyre 7 0 Darren Ferguson 7 0
Dean Holden 6 0 Shaun Pejic 5 0
Kevin Betsy 3 1 Danny Williams 5 0
Neil Kilkenny 4 0 Juan Ugarte 5 0
Daniel Boshell 4 0      

HEAD TO HEAD
Competition Oldham Draw Wrexham Total
League 22 20 23 65
FA Cup 1 0 2 3
League Cup 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0
Overall 23 20 25 67
Overall as a % 35% 29% 36% 100%

RECENT MEETINGS
Home Team Score Away Team Date Competition Link
Oldham Athletic 2-3 Wrexham 10-Aug-04 League 1 Review
Oldham Athletic 1-1 Wrexham 20-Apr-04 Division 2 Review
Wrexham 4-0 Oldham Athletic 21-Oct-03 Division 2 Review
Oldham Athletic 3-1 Wrexham 19-Jan-02 Division 2 Review
Wrexham 3-3 Oldham Athletic 11-Aug-01 Division 2 Review
Oldham Athletic 5-1 Wrexham 10-Feb-01 Division 2 Review
Wrexham 3-1 Oldham Athletic 09-Sep-00 Division 2 Review
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MATCH PREVIEW
THE MATCH

Wrexham Team News: Despite no player being substituted for injuries on Saturday it came as a surprise when five players turned up on Monday morning requiring treatment. Dennis Lawrence (back), Danny Williams (hamstring), Steve Roberts (heel) and Juan Ugarte (groin) joined Andy Holt who missed the weekend draw with Torquay with a hamstring injury. Despite the shock injury news Denis Smith is hopeful that the majority will be available for selection with Andy Holt rated as the least likely but Smith will leave it until Tuesday before selecting the starting eleven. Ben Foster continues in goal and if Roberts and Lawrence are passed fit then they will link up with Craig Morgan in defence although Shaun Pejic is available as back up. In midfield Darren Ferguson will start after making a shock appearance against Torquay despite suffering the affects of a cold and he will play alongside Mark Jones and Danny Williams. If Williams does not make it then Denis Smith has options in the form of Dean Bennett, Matt Crowell, Alex Smith (if he is not required at left wing back) and dropping back Chris Llewellyn from up front. Carlos Edwards continues on the right with Alex Smith again likely to deputise for the injured Andy Holt on the left. Juan Ugarte will hopefully be fit to play up front and he will be partnered by Chris Llewellyn unless he is required in midfield and that will allow Hector Sam to make the last place in the starting eleven. With all the injury doubts Denis Smith has increased the squad to 20.

Wrexham Squad (20): Foster, Harrison, Morgan, Pejic, Lawrence, Roberts, Edwards, Smith, Holt, Bennett, Spender, Green, Crowell, Mark Jones, Ferguson, Whitley, Williams, Ugarte, Sam, Llewellyn.

Oldham Team News: After conceding four goals at Bournemouth on Saturday Brian Talbot is set to recall central defenders Dean Holden and Will Haining back into the starting eleven. Will Haining has not started since limping out of the FA Cup Fourth Round game against Bolton due to a hamstring injury and although Dean Holden is not match fit, he will still start to shore up the leaky Latics' defence. Veteran David Eyres could also get a start after he was rested for the Bournemouth game.

Officials: The match referee is Colin Webster from Tyne & Wear and he is assisted by Andy Halliday from North Yorkshire and Neil Swarbrick from Lancashire. Colin Webster has refereed 26 games this season sending off 10 players and booking 80 at an average of 3.08 per game. The fourth official is Lee Mason from Lancashire.

Weather: It's Oldham in February so there are no surprises when the weather is forecasted to drop to -4 degrees Celsius. Add to that a 6 mph northerly wind and it is going to be a cold one.

The Bookies View: Oldham are favourites for the first leg with the best odds being 11/10 with Sporting Odds, Corals, UK Betting and Total Bet. Wrexham are best priced at 13/5 with Super Odds with VC bet offering the draw at 12/5..
Jump To: Venue, Travel Guide, Ticket and Ground Info, Pre Match Analysis, Match Preview