10th December 2000  

Chelsea visit awaits replay winner

Earlier on Oldham keeper Gary Kelly had been in magnificent form with a series of great saves to deny Posh's hungry attack before Craig Dudley delivered a hammer blow when Oldham grabbed a 62nd minute lead. Dudley capitalised on a slip by skipper Andrew Edwards before coolly picking his spot and slotting the ball past Mark Tyler from 15 yards. And had Tyler not made a wonderful reaction save moments later, Dudley would have doubled his and the visitors tally after Paul Rickers picked him out on the edge of the area in acres of space. Irish shot stopper Kelly was first called into action after just eight minutes when tenacious Posh midfielder Tony Shields wriggled his way through three Oldham challenges and got in a low shot that was well blocked. Then it was the turn of Leon McKenzie to beat two men only for inspirational Kelly to produce a top class block and the veteran keeper also did well to keep out a 35 yard blockbuster from Matthew Gill. Late on, the Posh onslaught continued and a hatful of chances went begging before Lee finally found the target in injury time. Forsyth blazed over a drive from the edge of the area over the bar, McKenzie flashed a left foot shot across the face of goal and Ritchie Hanlon trundled a low shot agonisingly the wrong side of the post. Oldham boss Andy Ritchie moaned: "We were robbed and cheated. There is no way there was three minutes of stoppage time."

Teamtalk Oldham

Battling Oldham were unlucky after Jason Lee grabbed a last gasp equaliser in the 90th minute for Peterborough to earn a replay in the FA Cup. Oldham will think themselves hard done by not to have clinched a third round place. Peterborough had gone into the game without striker Andy Clarke and Francis Green, while Simon Rea also pulled out because of flu. A first half of end-to-end football saw no real clear-cut chances for either side. Matthew Gill's 30-yard shot was the closest that either side had, but Oldham 'keeper Gary Kelly managed to just turn the ball around the post. The conditions deteriorated in the second half with the pitch cutting up and Peterborough took a battering in the early stages of the second half. Oldham went ahead in the 62nd minute with Craig Dudley putting the ball in the back of the net just inches wide of goalkeeper Mark Tyler's desperate lunge. It was the first goal scored by a visiting team at London Road in 470 minutes of football. It was all Oldham after that with one shot going inches over the bar and another crashing off the woodwork within the next few minutes. Posh piled on the pressure in the last few minutes, only to see Shaun Garnett clear the ball off the goal line and then, a few seconds later, an appeal for handball being turned down. David Oldfield then won a free kick as the fourth official signalled three extra minutes and Richard Forsythe's well weighted ball found Jason Lee to head home the equaliser. Oldham will rue their bad luck but at least the replay will be at Boundary Park.

Veteran midfielder John Sheridan, back in the Latics squad for the first time in four months, has revealed that he could have returned sooner. But the 36-year-old former Republic of Ireland international suffered a major setback because of his burning desire to play against his old club Sheffield Wednesday in the Worthington Cup last September. Sheridan explained: "I was rushing a bit because of that game. It would have been nice to have played at Hillsborough, but it backfired on me. "If it hadn't been for that cup draw, I would have taken more time and I might have been back sooner than I have." Sheridan, the Latics most influential player in recent seasons, hasn't played since the opening game of the season after undergoing surgery on an old knee injury. However, boss Andy Ritchie gave him a surprise call-up for Sunday's trip to Peterborough in the Second Round of the FA Cup. Sheridan added: "It has been a long time, but the most important thing is that I am back. Now I am looking forward to playing again. "What I need are games to get my fitness back, but the rain hasn't been helping me." Ritchie was keeping it close to his chest whether Sheridan would start the game at Peterborough or have to settle for a place on the bench. 

POSH.com

Peterborough United hopes of progressing to the glamorous third round of the AXA FA Cup were rescued by Jason Lee's injury time equaliser against Oldham Athletic, the big striker finding the net with a header from the far post as Posh flung everything forward in the closing minutes. Posh had to call on all their reserves of spirit after falling behind to a Craig Dudley goal midway through the second half. Now the teams meet again at Boundary Park on Tuesday week. Barry Fry was forced to re-shuffle his back line with the suspension of Dean Hooper, and Simon Rea needing more time to recover from the ankle ligament strain he picked up last weekend. Fit again Adam Drury came in for the central defender, and Matthew Gill was asked to operate the right back berth in place of Hooper. David Oldfield began the match at left back in place of Gareth Jelleyman. But up front Posh were without both Francis Green and Andy Clarke due to illness. The game enjoyed a typically bright FA Cup start and it was the visitors who provided the early threat.

Boshell blazed high and wide with three minutes on the clock, but it was Posh who came close to opening the scoring at the other end. Shields showed his grit and determination when powering into the penalty area after skipping past three challenges. But the young Irishman was superbly denied by goalkeeper Kelly who raced from his line to smother his shot. Then Boshell once again found space to test Tyler who scampered across his goal as the midfielder's effort flashed wide of the upright on 13 minutes. Former Cardiff City man Carss pulled McKenzie to the floor at the midway point of the half and Farrell stepped up to send his 25 yard free kick a yard the wrong side of Kelly's near post. Sixty seconds later Andy Ritchie's men were awarded a kick at the other end and Prenderville came within inches of breaking the deadlock as his close ranger looped over the bar. The lively defender came to Oldham's rescue when blocking a goal bound Farrell drive following good work from youngsters Shields and Gill. And Posh must have wondered how they were to get past goalkeeper Kelly who twice came to his side's rescue as the half drew to a close. The Latics shot stopper gathered Lee's close range shot at the second attempt, before parrying a 30 yard Gill effort out for a flag kick seven minutes before the break.

Posh forced their attacking play right up to the interval and Kelly was down quick to block an angled Farrell shot out for a corner kick that the visitors comfortably cleared. The momentum continued as the second period opened, Gill finding Lee to fire in a deep cross from the right that the advancing Oldham back line cleared. Boshell delivered a left wing cross that picked out Dudley but he could only steer a close range header into the hands of Tyler from 10 yards. Then, as Posh pushed forward again, Rickers was cautioned for a cynical tug at Farrell and the name of Boshell also soon found its way into referee David Laws' notebook after a foul on Forsyth. Posh boss Fry made a double substitution just after the hour with Shields and Cullen replaced by Hanlon and Jelleyman. But before either of the newcomers had time to make a mark Oldham grabbed the lead on 62 minutes. The ball was slid through to speedy Dudley who made no mistake with a cool low left foot finish from just inside the penalty area after being given a clear path to goal following a slip by Posh skipper Edwards.

Had in not been for a great Tyler save two minutes later Dudley would have hit his second. Then Posh twice went close to getting back on level terms. First McKenzie flashed a 20 yard shot across goal that went agonisingly wide of the far post before Hanlon steered a low inches wrong side of the same upright after being released by Lee. Tyler again had to be alert as Oldham's threat on the break was emphasised when Boshell found space to fire in a shot that was well handled by the Posh goalkeeper. But even Tyler was a mere spectator when Rickers rattled the angle of post and crossbar with a fierce 25 yard shot. Posh carried the game to Oldham in the closing minutes and after Lee's scrambled effort was kept out by Garnett's goal-line clearance, Oldfield saw a goalbound effort blocked. But just as the game entered added time Forsyth curled over a free kick from almost in the corner on the left and LEE was perfectly placed to power in a header from the far post.

FA Cup 3rd round Draw

Newcastle v Aston Villa

Blackburn v Chester

Morecambe v Ipswich

Leeds v Barnsley

Derby v West Brom

Watford v Everton

Carlisle v Arsenal

Walsall v West Ham

Swindon v Coventry

Bolton v Yeovil

Southend v Kingstonian

Huddersfield v Bristol City

Leicester v York City or Reading

Charlton v Dagenham & Redbridge

Bournemouth v Gillingham

Chelsea v Peterborough or Oldham

Wimbledon v Wigan or Notts County

Northwich Victoria or Leyton Orient v Tottenham

Burnley v Scunthorpe

Preston v Stockport

Manchester City v Birmingham City

Portsmouth v Tranmere

Bradford v Middlesbrough

Sunderland v Crystal Palace

Cardiff v Crewe

Southampton v Sheffield United

Fulham v Manchester United

Liverpool v Rotherham

Millwall or Wycombe v Grimsby

Nottingham Forest v Wolves

Darlington or Luton v QPR

Sheffield Wednesday v Norwich

Ties to be played on weekend of January 6th & 7th.