IN A barnstorming last quarter, Town narrowly failed to get the goal required to leave Boundary Park with a deserved point.
Oldham's Aussie goalkeeper Les Pogliacomi played a blinder and needed all his 6ft 5in to get to a Worthington pile-driver in the closing stages.
In a frenetic opening phase the sides exchanged goals, Pawel Abbott burying a great header. The Latics winner was disappointing since, as with the opener, it came from a cross into the box, a scenario that we consistently fail to defend effectively.
The first half formation, playing Abbott alone up front, blunted Town's efficacy.
Regularly Abbott had to go to the wings to fetch the ball leaving the centre wide open, a space that Jon Worthington and Chris Brandon had to work hard to fill.
The much-needed entrance of Junior Mendes and Danny Schofield on the hour, whom I would have preferred to see start, gave the team a better balance with Abbott being able to stay central while Mendes foraged wide.
When defending we rightly left two players up front but we could have improved the chances of a successful breakaway by positioning a player midway between the box and the forwards to help-on our clearances.
All credit to the players who, urged on by the 2,200 travelling support, fought to the last and only heroics by Pogliacomi coupled with a purblind referee who missed a blatant handball, gave Oldham their seventh win on the bounce.
I went to the game with an Oldham-supporting friend and sat with the home fans.
Perhaps I have been away from the terraces too long, but I was disgusted at the constant flow of foul language from a section of the Oldham fans with children nearby.
Football still has some work to do before it becomes universally family friendly.
