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Today's Edition for
 
    7th March 2002  
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 Rivals match reports JKLatics.com (oldhamathletic.rivals.com) The Inspector Earns Latics a Vital Point Cristian Colusso (the Inspector) came off the bench to give Latics a vital point. Nothing was going Latics way all night, but the little Argentinean scored an excellent volley in the very last minute. A crowd of nearly 8000 turned up. This was a very strange game indeed, that on the Latics front was ruined by a bad pitch. The game was delayed to an 8.10pm kick-off. I got in at about 8.05 after queuing outside for half an hour. The atmosphere was electric. Thousands of Latics fans scattered all over the ground. Latics made two changes from the 4-1 win over Colchester United. One was enforced, with Darren Sheridan coming in for the injured David Eyres. Cristian Colusso was left on bench, due to the poor pitch and David Reeves took his place up front in a three man attack. Julien Baudet came back into the squad for the game, and took David Eyres place in the 16. He was on the bench alongside McNiven, Holden, Colusso and Rickers. Chris Armstrong returned to Bury for the first time since leaving, and Gary Kelly also returned to Gigg Lane. Paul Reid was in Bury's side, alongside a former Latics target Jon Newby. FIRST HALF The game started off with Latics on the attack. The pitch wasn't good, and a passing game was near impossible. It was clear what Latics were going to do. The midfield was being missed out, and long balls from the defence were being pumped forward. You couldn't really do much else. On five minutes Allan Smart was put in by Paul Murray. He was through, but at a terrible angle. He shot at goal, but the ball went well wide. It looked as if he could of passed it back inside, but it was well worth a shot. Smart came close again, when a ball fell to him in the box. He was just about the bury the ball in the back of the net, when Nelson made a superb tackle and the ball was cleared. Chris Armstrong had started off quite nervously and not at his usual best. He did manage to get forward on 10 minutes, and shoot at goal, but it went 10 yards wide. On 13 minutes, disaster struck for Latics. Jon Newby had started off well, and got a corner. A Paul Reid cross fell to Martyn Forrest in he box, and he volleyed home from 12 yards. It was an excellent finish, but poor marking from Latics. Once again, Latics had let the opposition score first. Bury then started to play some pretty decent stuff, and looked as if they could score again. Chris Armstrong was booked for his anger. He threw the ball on the floor hard. He was frustrated, as Bury had got a throw in, when it was clearly Latics throw. A couple of minutes later, Armstrong went in strong on a Bury player, and Latics fans feared the worse. The referee called him over, and we thought he was going to get sent-off. He was given a warning, but any more fouls during the game, and he'd be off. On 27 minutes, Latics made a substitution, bringing on Julien Baudet for David Reeves. It was later revealed that Reeves had been blown on the head by a stray ball in the warm up, and was blind in one eye, and blurred in the other. He has hoped to run off the injury, but it didn't go away.  Latics then started to play a bit better, and Baudet was looking good in midfield. Instantly he played a superb ball out to Clegg on the right wing. He cross just passed Carlo Corazzin at the back post. This was much better from Latics. Carlo Corazzin had an effort at goal, very similar to Saturday's goal. He cut in from the left, but shot weakly at Garner in goal. Allan Smart was next to have an effort at goal. A long throw by Michael Clegg, was flicked on superbly well by Carlo Corazzin at the front post. It fell to Allan Smart, six yards out, but he headed over. The ball was slightly high for him, so was hard to keep down. Latics just kept coming forward at the end of the half. Right at the death, Allan Smart played Matty Appleby in. He was 10 yards out, and shot over the bar. It looked to take a deflection to me, but a goal kick was given. The half ended with Latics fully on the attack. The whistle went, and the officials were given a boo by the Latics fans. Latics were 1-0 down, and Gary Kelly had only one shot to save. Garner in the Bury goal, only had a couple to save, but Latics also had efforts that went very close. The half-time scores were read out. Both Cardiff and Huddersfield were also losing, so a new sense of optimism was felt amongst the crowd. SECOND HALF Latics came out for the second half looking to get back into the game. Bury actually started the half very well. Jon Newby was a handful for the Latics defence. Not long into the half, Matty Appleby went down injured, and wasn't moving. I feared the worse, as the doctor was called onto the pitch. It looked as if he may have swallowed his tongue. He got up after a couple of minutes and carried on. Latics looked pretty dangerous from crosses and corners. A corner by Darren Sheridan reached Stuart Balmer's head. The ball flew goalwards, but Garner made a good save. Allan Smart had a golden opportunity after superb work by Carlo Corrazin. He worked so hard, to beat a couple of defenders. The ball then came back to Allan Smart 10 yards out. He had an open goal and somehow hit it over the bar. It was a terrible miss from a man on such good form. Bury came back at Latics, and Jon Newby won a corner. The corner came in, but was headed out to the other wing. Seddon got a cross back into the box, and Reid hit a superb volley goalwards. Gary Kelly made a superb save, and got a standing ovation from the Latics fans. Latics brought on Cristian Colusso for Stuart Balmer. Julien Baudet  moved into defence, and Colusso in midfield. Latics got a succession of corner and free-kicks. Matty Appleby hit a free-kick wildly over the bar. Earlier he had hit one straight at Garner. The 4th official indicated their would be 3 minutes of injury time. with 91 minutes on the clock, Latics got an equaliser. The ball fell to Cristian Colusso on the edge of the box, and he volley home superbly. The little Argentinean went mad, as did the Latics fans. It looked as if he took his shirt off to me. On the balance of play a draw was the correct result. Latics missed some guilt edge chances, but must thank Gary Kelly for keeping the score at 1-0. The full-time whistle went, and Latics fans went away happy.Latics didn't play well last night, but that was due to the pitch. Latics had to adapt to a long ball style of play. Latics had to do this at Peterborough also, but it's evident we aren't really very good at it. Unfortunately Wigan's pitch isn't the greatest, so we may struggle a little again on the Saturday, but it can't be as bad as Bury's. Last night's results went well for Latics with QPR, Cardiff and Huddersfield drawing and Bristol City losing. All in all a decent night for Latics. David Eyres will hopefully be back on Saturday and a win over Wigan could be obtained.Special mention to Gary Kelly for his excellent save. Now I remember why he's Ireland's number one. Well to me anyway. Get down to the JJB and give the boys your support. Last night saw great support from Latics fans. Lets do it again.

y3kshakers (bury.rivals.com) Top Crowd Sees Late Drama Yes, folks, it's going to be one of those reports! There was a rare old buzz at Gigg tonight, following three days of massive seat sales. If nothing else, Friday's events have brought together Bury fans like never before, and there is a new-found feeling of community and spirit at the club. Saturday's huge win at Wycombe was a real bonus, and meant that going into two home games, Bury had a real chance of pulling well clear of the danger zone in the next week. Of course you know what they say about pride coming before a fall!  For your general entertainment this evening, we have decided to not only hand out some gratuitous insults, but to do it with panache and a real educational flavour. Sat at my right hand is a most marvellous tome entitled "Shakespeare's Insults". It contains a range of insults and sheer torment you can only expect from the Shakespeare clan (and of course in that I include Shakespeare's Sister, purveyors of some of the most horrific music ever created). So we'll throw in a few of these lovely put downs for your amusement during this report. His reputation is as arrant a villain and a Jack-sauce as ever his black shoe trod upon God's ground [Henry V, or alternatively Besses talking about Terry Robinson] People of Oldham, you did yourselves and Bury proud - more than 3500 fans made the trip round the ringroad and helped swell the gate to a season-high 7953 - though once again, I'd love to know where the other 3500 seats were; this looked more like 9500 or so to most of us. Indeed, such was the interest that the game was delayed twice to let the crowds in, the match finally kicking off at 8.10. Predictably Preecey stuck with the XI that did so well at Wycombe, while Oldham fielded both their former Shakers, Armstrong and Kelly, both of whom would have considerable say in the game. For the rebellion of a codpiece! His use was to put a ducat in her clack-dish [Measure for Measure - I have no idea what this means, but it's hilarious!] The early exchanges were scrappy, with neither side able to get the ball down and play. Garner pulled off one smart low stop from Corrazin, but it was Newby who was causing the most trouble, repeatedly skinning his full back on a night where he put in an absolutely superb display. Bury took the lead on 14 minutes when Fozzy bagged his first career goal - and what a goal! Reidy swung over a left sided corner, the ball pinged towards the far corner of the box and in rushed Forrest to smack a first time volley past the despairing Kelly. Absolutely superb! From that point on, both sides had their moments, with Oldham playing the neater passing football, but often over-elaborating on the edge of the box, and the Shakers repeatedly looking to the longer ball game for Newby and Seddon. Chris Armstrong was involved in two incidents shortly after we had taken the lead, which could have seen him sent off and which show the problems with officiating today. Firstly after a 50-50 challenge with Reid, the ref. penalised young Stretch, who showed his frustration by bouncing the ball - instant yellow card. Two minutes later he went in extremely late on Seddon and got away Scot free - that was almost worthy of a straight red and certainly warranted a second yellow. Ridiculous. You leather-jerkin, crystal-button, knot-pated, agate-ring, puke-stocking, caddis-garter, smooth-tongue, Spanish pouch [Henry IV - or is it Billysnomates talking about Reidy?] Indeed the officiating throughout was desperate tonight, with the three men in black not winning friends among either sets of fans with some ludicrous decisions - no doubt there will be plenty of fans on the boards complaining!  And so to half time. It was announced that more than 4000 seats have already been sold in our appeal - an absolutely stupendous effort! keep it going, folks. That was another massive plus tonight. One area of interest was to compare the performances of Armstrong and his replacement at Bury, Jamie Stuart. Personally I always liked Stretch, but he was susceptible to pace, and Newby had his measure tonight. To be fair to Armstrong, his defensive work was good and he's also solid on the ball. Stuart also turned in a very good showing, and I couldn't really pick out the better player on the night. His guts are made of puddings [The Merry Wives of Windsor, talking about one of our goalkeepers perchance?] Glyn Garner gave me the willies at times with his rushes out of the box - he was almost caught out twice, and was indeed penalised for obstruction as he allowed a ball to run out of play - rubbish decision, but it could have been costly. Just get rid of the ball!! The second half started with both sides sparring for openings, without threatening much. Newby and Seddon were linking well for Bury, while Oldham's shaven headed number 3 was also pretty good, finding plenty of time and space to link up with Armstrong. Overall I was a bit disappointed with Oldham given their league position, but this was a night for passion and scrapping rather than pretty football. Each side had a golden chance to hit the net midway through the half. First of all, Newby was put in the clear after great work from Micky Nelson (who was a rock all night) but never got the ball under control sufficiently and Kelly made a smart stop. Then at the other end Smart somehow sidefooted over an empty net from 12 yards out after Garner had fumbled the ball. Indeed the target was about as gaping as the backside of a certain injured Bury striker (I have put that in at the request of a certain Ms Unsworth, who shall otherwise remain nameless, won't you Sharon). She was a vixen when she went to school, and though she be but little, she is fierce [A Midsummer Night's dream - and a fantastically hilarious comment on one of our chat room regulars, whose wrath I now fully expect to incur on Saturday!] JJ came on for a very tired Borley, but it was the other unsung member of the midfield, Reidy, who almost settled the game for Bury in one of my favourite footballing moments this season. Seddon and Newby had linked up superbly down the left, and Seddon pulled the ball back with his left foot. With the ball coming across the face of goal about 20 yards out, Reid took off and hit a volley at a bout shoulder height that was screaming into the top corner until Kelly produced an equally stupendous save. Just magic. Thy voice is thunder, but thy looks are humble [Richard III - commenting on Preecey barking out instructions from the dugout] As time started to wind down, it looked like the Shakers would hang on. Oldham wasted a couple of free kicks, while Seddon almost achieved Jugs status, blasting the ball across the goal after being put in by Newby. Of course, this is Bury and with 3 minutes displayed on the 4th official's board, there was always the potential for calamity ... and with 2 minutes of the time elapsed, sure enough it happened. Fans had been screaming for a foul upfield, but the ref. gave Oldham a freekick, which bobbled around the box and then fell to substitute Colusso who smacked a volley straight under Garner to send the travelling hordes into a frenzy. If I be waspish, best beware my sting [Taming of the Shrew - Shaky proves that shocking puns were around 100s of years before Dr P ...] So a 1-1 draw. Absolutely sickening at the end, but let's be fair, Oldham had wasted chances and on balance this was probably a fair result. But GRRRRRRR how annoying! There were a couple of unsavoury scuffles in the South Stand too as some burly Oldham lads stood up and made a nuisance of themselves, but let that not detract from Bury gaining another valuable point. 

 Oldham Evening Chronicle (www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk) Freak injury puts Reeves in doubt DAVID REEVES could be doubtful for Athletic’s second derby clash of the week . . . after getting injured when he was hit by a football. The striker’s bizarre setback came two minutes before kick-off in last night’s draw at Bury. Reeves was bending down to tie his bootlace when a stray ball hit a divot on the rutted pitch and caught him in the face. He was knocked backwards and lay on the ground before team-mate Matty Appleby spotted his distress. Reeves was attended by Latics physio Paul Caton but obviously had problems with his eyesight. Athletic had to warm up their substitutes before the game even started and Reeves, who had been recalled to a three-man strikeforce, lasted less than half an hour. Boss Mick Wadsworth said: “We tried to get him right, but he couldn’t see anything out of his right eye and had double vision in the other. “It’s an unbelievable piece of bad luck. There was no chance of keeping him on – he just couldn’t see what was happening.” The freak injury was another blow for Reeves, who has gone more than two months without a goal since his flying start for Athletic. The free-transfer capture from Chesterfield is likely to see a specialist, but club officials say the problem could clear up before Saturday’s trip to Wigan. Athletic will be without Paul Murray at the JJB Stadium as the influential midfielder serves a one-match ban. However John Sheridan and Lee Duxbury should be back from injury. Both players will have a run-out in the reserves tonight. Wadsworth was satisfied with a point at Gigg Lane, where his side looked destined to lose until Cristian Colusso scored at the death. The coach explained: “There wasn’t much good football because the pitch was very poor. But I’m quite pleased with my players – they fought and fought and came out with something in the end.” Bury, who are in danger of going out of business this month, contacted the Chronicle today to thank Athletic fans for their “brilliant” support. There were over 3,000 people in the away sections. Meanwhile, tonight’s reserve game against Manchester City at Hyde (7pm) features Paul Jones and Wayne Gill in their first competitive action since long-term injury. There are no fewer than six trialists in the squad. They include midfielder Robby Busscher, a Holland under-18 international.Athletic survive a dose of the shakes 
IF Athletic squeeze into the play-offs by a single point, they can look back on the night they got out of jail at Gigg Lane. Cristian Colusso’s stoppage-time equaliser was barely deserved reward for a messy, below-par display against Bury. The horrendous pitch didn’t help Athletic in this blood-and-thunder derby, and the opposition were a crisis club playing as though defeat would leave mortal wounds. But Mick Wadsworth’s men again struggled to take their home form on the road. Despite respective league positions, this turned out to be a point gained. Colusso’s strike, his second vital equaliser since signing, was a perfect example of the technique needed to keep an awkward chance under control. It was the visitors’ one touch of class around the box as they had wasted much better chances to cancel out Bury’s goal. The Shakers led after only 14 minutes in yet another example of Athletic giving themselves an uphill task. Then they fought tooth and nail to hold on, putting in bone-crunching tackles to complement a marvellous work rate. Their plan was pretty straightforward – in attack they played long balls and tried to pick up the pieces, in defence they simply crowded out their rivals. It wasn’t pretty, but needs must when you are battling against the drop. And Bury, the future of their whole operation in doubt, certainly showed some Dunkirk spirit. Athletic also became more direct, with the grassless surface giving them little option, and Carlo Corazzin had a tough battle with imposing centre-backs Michael Nelson and Sam Collins. Goalkeeper Gary Kelly did well – one save in particular was exceptional – and first-half sub Julien Baudet had the physical strength to match Bury’s muscle. The crowd may not have been vast, but it was more than double the club average, led to kick-off being delayed by 25 minutes and added to the general atmosphere of people pulling together. Approaching Gigg Lane, there were stalls flogging the tenner-a-seat scheme and so many buckets of loose change that it felt like turning up for a church fund-raiser. Everyone, of course, wants Bury to come through their crisis (you need your head testing if you don’t) and an away contingent of over 3,000 could have only helped. Athletic’s display did them quite a few favours as well. In the bid to complete a survival double by escaping relegation, the Shakers were unlucky, and very distraught, at seeing victory stolen away. After the long wait for some football to get underway, Athletic provided most of the early thrusts. Allan Smart pulled a shot wide following good play with Paul Murray, Corazzin’s run through was halted by a dodgy offside flag and Darren Sheridan miscued from 20 yards after Kelly’s mammoth clearance. Against the run of play, however, Bury struck an opener which will have been desperately disappointing for Athletic’s coaching staff. Nobody cut out Paul Reid’s deep corner and Martyn Forrest arrived at the far post to volley home firmly from 15 yards. Kelly prevented a 2-0 deficit moments later, saving bravely from George Clegg after livewire Jon Newby crossed from the right. And Athletic almost went down to 10 men within 24 minutes. Having been harshly booked beforehand, ex-Bury full-back Chris Armstrong was penalised for a late tackle and escaped with a stern lecture. Athletic made a switch, slotting Baudet into midfield at the expense of striker David Reeves, who was unable to continue after a freak injury in the warm-up. They quickly made three openings, but Corazzin didn’t get hold of his low shot, Smart’s header looped over and right-back Michael Clegg missed narrowly after a strong run. Bury regrouped to restrict Athletic’s attacks, creating a chance themselves when Kelly denied Newby after 58 minutes. When the visitors did get through, it went horribly wrong. Corazzin’s bustle left Smart with an open goal, which he somehow blazed over from 10 yards – think bad miss and then double it. At the other end, Kelly made a quite brilliant stop from Reid’s screamer to ensure Athletic still had hope with 20 minutes left. Colusso, who had again been left out away from home, arrived in a rescue mission. But like others before him, he found the home defence in unyielding mood. It needed a set-piece to save Athletic’s night in the second minute of injury time. Colusso won the free-kick (something he is particularly good at) 40 yards from Bury’s goal. And when it fell to the edge of the box off Corazzin, the Argentinian’s dipping volley bounced in front of ’keeper Glyn Garner and tricked its way through a despairing drive. 
Don't forget the BBz/Rivals Message Board at http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=939&p=16&forumid=5973BBz Web Site archive is at http://www.oocities.org/laticsgary.geo
 Official Oldham Athletic Web Site (www.oldhamathletic.co.uk)Content from the Oldham Athletic Web Site is used with permission of Oldham Athletic Football Club RESERVE ACTION TONIGHT

Latics Reserves are taking on Manchester City in Manchester Senior Cup tonight. This fixture is to be played at Hyde United’s ground, and the coaching staff will be taking the opportunity to showcase some recently acquired young talent. There will be 6 trialists on show; the squad will include QPR full back Marcel Nugent and striker Alistair Hezelton, Barnley’s Graham Gartland, Sheffield Wednesday striker Dene Cropper and Dutch midfielder Robby Busscher who has also been capped for his country at U.16, 17 and 18 level and plays his Club football for Feyenord youth. All of these trialists are 19 years old. HIGH WINDS CAUSES POSTPONMENT

High winds at Ewen Fields, Hyde has loosened boarding on the fascia of the main stand and caused tonight's reserve team fixture against Manchester City to be put back 24 hours. The game will now be played on Thursday evening with a 7pm kick off.

REEVES INJURY

David Reeves, after his freak injury at Gigg Lane last night, was unable to drive so stayed in Oldham overnight. He was struck in face by the ball when warming up and as a result complained of impaired vision in one eye and blurred vision in another. He was taken off after 28 minutes, then being replaced by Julien Baudet.
He was still suffering this morning so is seeing a doctor today (Wednesday). 

 TEAMtalk (www.teamtalk.co.uk) Latics play down Armstrong talk 
Oldham have confirmed they have received no bids for Chris Armstrong, with a club spokesman insisting they are building a team for the future. The 19-year-old full-back has been watched twice by Bobby Robson in recent weeks, after impressing for The Latics since completing a £200,000 move from Bury in October. But although there is already a sizeable squad at Boundary Park at present, the spokesman admitted that Armstrong is seen by boss Mick Wadsworth as very much part of Oldham's future. He told TEAMtalk: "I can confirm we have had no official approach for Armstrong. "Mick has gone on record as saying he wants the squad trimming to around 25 players, but he is developing a team for the future and I'm not sure how he would react to the prospect of selling one of his best players." Newcastle already have three left-backs on their books in Robbie Elliott, Olivier Bernard and Wayne Quinn, while on-loan Sylvain Distin has impressed in that position in recent weeks despite being seen first and foremost as a central defender. But with Distin's future at St James' Park still unclear, and Quinn repeatedly linked with moves away from Tyneside, Robson is likely to continue keeping tabs on the promising Armstrong. 
Beharall seals Latics switch The Latics have prised Newcastle United defender David Beharall away from St James' Park for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old Geordie had been originally on loan at Boundary Park until the end of the season, teaming up with former Magpies assistant manager Mick Wadsworth, but has now sealed a permanent move. Having only played four times for the first team at St James' Park, Beharall had a three-month loan spell at Grimsby earlier in the season, starring in their Worthington Cup win over holders Liverpool. Beharall has made 19 appearance for Oldham so far, and has done enough to convince Wadsworth of his talents as the Latics, lying sixth in the league, continue their push for promotion.Boss hails last-minute strike 
Oldham kept their play-off hopes on track with a late goal in the 1-1 draw at Bury last night, and Mick Wadsworth says it was "fully deserved".  The Latics left it late with a last-minute leveller from little Argentinian Carlo Colusso, then saw that other results had gone their way. Despite dropping the two points, they are still in the top six and have narrowed the gap on fifth-placed Bristol City to just one point. Colusso, the 24-year-old midfielder who is staying at Boundary Park for the rest of the season, struck his second goal in five games just before the ref. blew the final whistle. And Wadsworth said: "It wasn't a case of getting out of jail, we fully deserved our point. We had the better of the chances and we kept going until the last minute. "It is a credit to all my players that we came out of the game with something." The Latics have lost just one of their last nine games, picking up 18 points from a possible 27, and during that run they have won five and drawn three. Wadsworth's side now have eight games left and if they can maintain their current form they will be in with a great chance of having a crack at getting back into the First Division.

Eyres in foot race to be fit for derby 
The Latics's medical team are racing against the clock to get David Eyres' foot injury fixed for Saturday's big Lancashire derby against Wigan. The 14-goal marksman, who was 38 last month, is under intensive treatment for a badly bruised foot that forced him to pull out of last nights Bury game - but there are high hopes he could return by the weekend. Mick Wadsworth also has another casualty in David Reeves. The 34-year-old striker picked up a bizarre injury at Gigg Lane on Tuesday - just before the game! Reeves bent down to tie a bootlace when he was hit full in the face by a ball during the warm-up, and when the game kicked off his vision was impaired and he had to be substituted. A club spokesperson told TEAMtalk today: "David could not see out of his right eye and had blurred vision in the other. "But he has gone to hospital for a check-up this afternoon and, as yet, we have heard nothing so we are taking that as good news."Boss blasts ref. 
Andy Preece blasted Stoke referee Tony Bates in the wake of the 1-1 derby draw with Oldham saying he "could not believe some of his decisions".  And the Bury player-boss may yet end up in disciplinary hot water with the FA following his extraordinary post-match outburst. Preece saw his side lose their lead to an equaliser in the second minute of injury time, a result that may prove crucial in the bid for survival. And he had no doubt where the blame should be pointed for the sad end to an otherwise successful evening at Gigg Lane. Preece stormed: "The players were magnificent, superb. They delivered everything I asked for, they were superb and I cannot fault them. "But the referee got what he wanted, I just could not believe some of his decisions in the second half. We nearly got through it, but the referee got the result he wanted. "The players were magnificent, but when you have to come up against what they came up against, what chance do you have? They should be holding their heads up and they should be proud of what they have achieved. To get a point is a major effort, but it should have been all three." 
Those comments, and the accusation of bias, could be frowned upon by the FA should attention be drawn to them. But it was hard not to feel sympathy with the Shakers chief when a free-kick tally of 19-4 in the visitors' favour was taken into account. Preece said: "That speaks volumes for me. He gave two free-kicks against Jason Jarrett and they were the most embarrassing decisions that I have ever seen. "I am absolutely fuming. We are fighting for our lives here and you get that. It's just disgraceful. It just takes everything away from the performance and how well we played. "Everybody throughout the team worked their socks off, it was just like the Wycombe game, but we had a decent referee against Wycombe." To add to Preece's long list of complaints, he also felt former Bury favourite Chris "Stretch" Armstrong should have been sent off for a bad foul on Gareth Seddon. He said: "I don't want to see players sent off, but at the end of the day the challenge that Stretch did against Gareth Seddon - and then Jon Newby went through and he pulled him back - yet the referee did not do anything about either of them. A season can hinge on decisions like that."

Bury thanks for Latics turnout Andy Preece and the Shakers management have poured their thanks and praise on Oldham fans for turning up in large numbers at last night's derby. Preece was furious at the refereeing performance in the 1-1 Gigg Lane draw, but he could not fail but be touched by the turn-out from visiting supporters. Still, Bury are anxious that so many visitors swelled the 7,953 crowd and Preece repeated his appeal for support in this weekend's clash with Notts County. He said: "The response from the fans was fantastic, but we have got to hold our hands up to Oldham. "They brought 3,200 which leave us with only 4,700 from Bury. So we have got to be a bit concerned. "We have got Notts County on Saturday and they might only bring 500 so it’s got to be around the 5,000 figure. Yes, the figure was brilliant, but we have to hold our hands up to Oldham." A statement from Bury Football Club repeated the sentiment.

 Sporting Life Tuesday review (www.sportinglife.com) BATTLE ROYAL FOR LEADERS Second Division leaders Reading suffered from promotion jitters at the Madejski Stadium and needed a late Andy Hughes strike to rescue a point from a 2-2 draw with relegation-threatened Bournemouth. The Royals have been romping towards Division One - and looked to be continuing in the same vein when Jamie Cureton put the Berkshire outfit in front after just five minutes. But James Hayter (48) and Derek Holmes (77) nudged the south-coast club in front before Hughes levelled with 10 minutes left.Brighton are battling with Alan Pardew's men for the Division Two title and thumped sorry Wycombe 4-0 to move within five points of the leaders. Bobby Zamora continued his red-hot scoring streak for the Seagulls with his 27th and 28th goals of the season (40 and 76), with Phil Brooker (58) and Paul Watson (81) also on target.

Stoke could yet satisfy their huge fan-base with promotion - and quickfire strikes from Bjarni Gudjonsson (42) and Deon Burton (45) put them on track for a 3-1 success at Colchester. Karl Duguid (54) gave the home side hope, but a second goal from Burton in the 80th minute clinched victory.

Brentford remain hot on Stoke's heels after Lloyd Owusu hit a double (42 and 69) to beat Swindon 2-0.

Tranmere beat Bristol City 1-0 thanks to Simon Haworth (14), while Chesterfield drew 1-1 with Huddersfield. The Spireites' Martyn Booty (42) was on the mark, but Leon Knight (83) levelled.

Cash-strapped Bury's finances were boosted by the 7,953 fans that turned out to see them draw 1-1 with Oldham. The home side roared in front through Martyn Forrest (14), but Athletic's Cristian Colusso equalised in the last minute.

Richard Pacquette was both hero and villain for QPR in their 1-1 draw at Cardiff. He opened the scoring in the 12th minute, but was sent off for two bookings late on after Scott Young (59) had equalised.

Lowly Wrexham pulled off a surprise 3-1 win at Port Vale with Carlos Edwards (36) and Lee Trundle (pen 85 and 87) on target. Stephen McPhee (59) scored for the Welshmen.

Basement boys Cambridge were tanked 4-1 at Wigan. Andy Liddell's hat-trick (pen 17, 46 and 90) did the damage, with Lee McCulloch also on the scoresheet in the 71st minute. Ian Ashton's 65th-minute spot-kick was the only bright spot for United.

Northampton won 2-1 at Blackpool to ease their relegation worries, with a Marco Gabbiadini brace (8 and 54) enough to ensure victory despite Graham Fenton's 59th-minute strike.

Lowly Notts County won 1-0 at Peterborough thanks to Danny Allsopp's sixth-minute goal. 
Team P Home Away Pts Goal
Diff
W D L F A W D L F A
Reading  38 12 3 4 32 16 10 5 4 26 17 74 25
Brighton  37 14 3 1 34 12 5 9 5 18 25 69 15
Stoke  38 12 4 3 38 12 7 6 6 22 23 67 25
Brentford  37 14 3 1 42 11 5 5 9 23 28 65 26
Bristol City  37 11 4 4 30 17 7 4 7 24 20 62 17
Oldham  38 12 5 2 41 17 4 8 7 27 33 61 18
Huddersfield  36 10 5 3 27 16 6 7 5 23 20 60 14
Cardiff  37 9 7 3 31 20 7 5 6 23 22 60 12
QPR  38 9 8 2 31 16 6 4 9 20 25 57 10
Tranmere  36 10 7 2 35 13 5 4 8 18 29 56 11
Wycombe  37 10 4 4 31 20 4 7 8 17 30 53 -2
Port Vale  38 10 4 5 33 22 5 3 11 14 30 52 -5
Wigan  38 6 6 7 29 20 6 8 5 25 23 50 11
Swindon  38 9 5 5 23 18 4 6 9 18 30 50 -7
Colchester  38 8 5 6 29 25 4 5 10 25 39 46 -10
Blackpool  37 5 8 5 25 26 6 4 9 24 32 45 -9
Chesterfield  36 7 3 8 30 28 4 8 6 16 21 44 -3
Peterborough  37 7 5 6 34 22 4 4 11 15 27 42 0
Bury  38 5 8 6 22 24 5 2 12 15 36 40 -23
Northampton  37 6 3 10 19 29 5 2 11 23 34 38 -21
Wrexham  38 5 6 8 21 27 4 3 12 24 46 36 -28
Bournemouth  37 7 3 8 25 25 1 8 10 19 34 35 -15
Notts County  38 4 7 8 21 28 4 3 12 22 35 34 -20
Cambridge Utd  37 5 7 7 22 29 0 3 15 12 46 25 -41
 Division 2 fixtures for March  
Saturday 9 March
Bournemouth v  Northampton 15.00
Bristol City v  Cambridge Utd 15.00
Bury v  Notts County 15.00
Cardiff v  Blackpool 15.00
Huddersfield v  Swindon 15.00
Peterborough v  Colchester 15.00
Port Vale v  Tranmere 15.00
QPR v  Chesterfield 15.00
Reading v  Brighton 15.00
Wigan v  Oldham 15.00
Wrexham v  Brentford 15.00
Wycombe v  Stoke 15.00
Tuesday 12 March
Blackpool v  Tranmere 19.45
Brentford v  Chesterfield 19.45
Brighton v  Northampton 19.45
Wycombe v  Huddersfield 19.45
Saturday 16 March
Blackpool v  Port Vale 15.00
Brentford v  Wycombe 15.00
Brighton v  Bury 15.00
all ticket  
Cambridge Utd v  Huddersfield 15.00
Chesterfield v  Reading 15.00
Colchester v  QPR 15.00
Northampton v  Wrexham 15.00
Notts County v  Bristol City 15.00
Oldham v  Cardiff 15.00
Stoke v  Peterborough 15.00
Swindon v  Wigan 15.00
Tranmere v  Bournemouth 15.00
Tuesday 19 March
Blackpool v  Brentford 19.45
Bournemouth v  Cambridge Utd 19.45
Chesterfield v  Bristol City 19.45
Peterborough v  Tranmere 19.45
Friday 22 March
Cardiff v  Wrexham 19.45
Saturday 23 March
Bournemouth v  Bristol City 15.00
Brighton v  Notts County 15.00
Bury v  Port Vale 15.00
Huddersfield v  Northampton 15.00
QPR v  Peterborough 15.00
Reading v  Oldham 15.00
Stoke v  Chesterfield 15.00
Wigan v  Tranmere 15.00
Wycombe v  Colchester 15.00
Friday 29 March
Northampton v  Bury 19.45
Saturday 30 March
Brentford v  Stoke 15.00
Bristol City v  Reading 15.00
Chesterfield v  Cardiff 15.00
Colchester v  Brighton 15.00
Notts County v  Bournemouth 15.00
Oldham v  Cambridge Utd 15.00
Peterborough v  Wycombe 15.00
Port Vale v  Wigan 15.00
Swindon v  Blackpool 15.00
Tranmere v  QPR 15.00
Wrexham v  Huddersfield 15.00

 Stats Football (www.statsfootball.co.uk)  
League Appearances
        Substitutions     League points  
  Mins       Not     From Avg Avg  
  Age used Starts     On Off used     starts in out Influence  
14   Michael Clegg (M) 24 285 3     1 - -     7 2.33 1.54 +0.79  
20   Cristian Colusso (M) 25 275 3     4 3 -     7 2.33 1.54 +0.79  
31   Tony Carss (M) 25 499 5     2 - -     11 2.20 1.52 +0.68  
34   Julian Baudet (D) 23 759 8     6 2 2     17 2.13 1.47 +0.66  
8   John Sheridan (M) 37 1980 24     3 13 2     47 1.96 1.00 +0.96  
30   Paul Murray (M) 25 1519 16     1 1 -     31 1.94 1.36 +0.57  
9   David Reeves (F) 34 935 11     2 2 -     21 1.91 1.48 +0.43  
32   David Beharall (D) 22 1526 17     - 1 -     31 1.82 1.43 +0.39  
35   Allan Smart (F) 27 825 10     3 7 -     18 1.80 1.54 +0.26  
12   Mark Allott (F) 23 829 9     6 5 2     16 1.78 1.55 +0.23  
37   Paul Rachubka (G) 20 1440 16     - - -     28 1.75 1.50 +0.25  
11   Matty Appleby (D) 29 946 11     1 3 -     19 1.73 1.56 +0.17  
33   Chris Armstrong (D) 19 2091 23     1 - -     39 1.70 1.47 +0.23  
21   Barry Prenderville (D) 25 974 10     2 2 1     17 1.70 1.57 +0.13  
7   Paul Rickers (M) 26 1237 13     9 5 6     22 1.69 1.56 +0.13  
10   John Eyre (F) 27 1000 11     9 9 1     18 1.64 1.59 +0.04  
3   Darren Sheridan (M) 34 2049 23     2 3 1     37 1.61 1.60 +0.01  
28   David Eyres (M) 38 2854 32     5 5 -     49 1.53 2.00 -0.47  
2   Scott McNiven (D) 23 2487 27     3 1 7     41 1.52 1.82 -0.30  
1   Gary Kelly (G) 35 1910 21     1 - 8     32 1.52 1.71 -0.18  
5   Stuart Balmer (D) 32 2951 33     1 3 2     49 1.48 2.40 -0.92  
19   Carlo Corazzin (F) 30 1698 19     6 11 2     28 1.47 1.74 -0.26  
6   Lee Duxbury (M) 32 2581 29     4 7 -     40 1.38 2.33 -0.95  
4   Shaun Garnett (D) 32 262 4     4 2 -     5 1.25 1.65 -0.40  
24   Dean Holden (D) 22 1249 14     2 3 10     17 1.21 1.83 -0.62  
9   Matthew Tipton (F) 21 1035 11     11 8 5     13 1.18 1.78 -0.60  
17   Craig Dudley (F) 22 597 6     3 1 1     7 1.17 1.69 -0.52  
13   David Miskelly (G) 22 70 1     - 1 16     1 1.00 1.62 -0.62  
26   Marc Richards (M) 19 247 3     2 2 -     2 0.67 1.69 -1.02  
18   Daniel Boshell (M) 20 151 2     2 2 3     1 0.50 1.67 -1.17  
25   Wayne Gill (M) 26 210 3     - 2 -     0 0.00 1.74 -1.74  
0   Mark Innes (M) 23 131 -     5 - 5     - - 1.61 -  
15   Lee Hardy (M) 20 10 -     1 - 5     - - 1.61 -  
23   Will Haining - 8 -     2 - -     - - 1.61 -  
20   Mark Hotte (M) 23 - -     - - 6     - - 1.61 -  
23   Paul Shepherd (F) 24 - -     - - 1     - - 1.61 -  
  
League Scorers
    Mins/   Hat First 90th  
    Goals Pens Goal Home Away Tricks scorer min  
  Cristian Colusso 2 - 137 1 1 - - 1  
  John Eyre 5 - 200 3 2 - 1 -  
  Allan Smart 4 - 206 3 1 - - -  
  Matthew Tipton 5 1 207 4 1 - 3 1  
  Mark Allott 4 - 207 2 2 - 3 1  
  Carlo Corazzin 8 1 212 4 4 - - 4  
  Paul Murray 5 - 303 2 3 - 2 -  
  David Reeves 3 1 311 1 2 - 1 -  
  David Eyres 9 1 317 5 4 - 2 -  
  Matty Appleby 2 - 473 1 1 - 1 -  
  Stuart Balmer 5 - 590 3 2 - 2 -  
  Craig Dudley 1 - 597 1 - - 1 -  
  Paul Rickers 2 - 618 1 1 - 1 -  
  Lee Duxbury 3 - 860 3 - - 1 -  
  John Sheridan 2 1 990 1 1 - 1 -  
  Darren Sheridan 2 - 1024 1 1 - 2 -  
  David Beharall 1 - 1526 1 - - - -
   
League Cards
    Yellow Red Mins lost Mins per card  
  John Sheridan - 1 19 1980  
  Gary Kelly 1 -   1910  
  Carlo Corazzin 1 -   1698  
  Mark Allott 1 -   829  
  Stuart Balmer 4 -   737  
  David Eyres 4 -   713  
  Chris Armstrong 3 -   697  
  Lee Duxbury 4 -   645  
  Paul Rickers 2 -   618  
  John Eyre 2 -   500  
  Scott McNiven 5 -   497  
  Barry Prenderville 2 -   487  
  Allan Smart 2 -   412  
  Matthew Tipton 3 -   345  
  Darren Sheridan 6 -   341  
  Matty Appleby 3 -   315  
  Dean Holden 4 -   312  
  Paul Murray 5 -   303  
  Shaun Garnett 1 -   262  
  Julian Baudet 2 1 22 253  
  Marc Richards 1 -   247  
  Daniel Boshell 1 -   151  
   
Contributions and letters should be sent to Gary Davies by e-mail at LaticsGary@ntlworld.comor at Boundary Bullet-zine,41 Verney Road,Royton,Oldham,United Kingdom.OL2 6AZ07786 928689Or in the Setons Chaddy end Row R Seats 67 & 68Boundary Bullet-zine Archive can be found at http://www.oocities.org/laticsgary.geo.Boundary Bullet-zine Message Board can be found at http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=939&p=16&forumid=5973The views expressed on this e-zine are not the views of Oldham Athletic F.C. nor necessarily the views of the Editor.This e-zine is a unofficial publication NOT sanctioned by Oldham Athletic Football Club.The editor will not publish any letters containing bad language.This e-zine is written using Microsoft Outlook Express and is best viewed with the HTML (rich) text option enabled.