Welcome to today's issue of 
BOUNDARY BULLET-zine
 
The Daily On-line e-zine for 261 Oldham Athletic Supporters Worldwide
 
Today's Edition for
 
   20th July 2000   
 
 
Today's Headlines

 Oldham Evening Chronicle 
Tait on target

JORDAN TAIT, who spent most of last season on the sidelines, scored for an Athletic XI last night in the 3-1 win at Bradford Park Avenue. The 20-year-old right wing-back has undergone a double hernia operation and has had knee ligament problems since his arrival from Newcastle United. Tait, along with Matthew Tipton and Danny Walsh, found the net against the Unibond League side. Said Athletic boss Andy Ritchie, who was not at the Horsfall Stadium: "It was a scrappy game by all accounts, but we defended quite well. Danny Boshell and Matthew Tipton did well, so did Danny Walsh when he came on as substitute, while Paul Beavers had a decent game at the back. "I'm quite pleased for Jordan (Tait), because he's had a rough time with injuries since he's been with us." 

John Sheridan's chances of making tomorrow night's trip to Rhyl hinged on how he fared in training today. The midfield player is nursing a kick on a toe and a sore thigh following the friendly against Leigh RMI earlier in the week. Promising teenager Ryan Sugden, meanwhile, is ruled out of next week's Isle of Man festival after failing to recover from an ankle injury. 


 Player Sponsorship money received : £180 
 Teamtalk Oldham 
Pre-season climax
  
The Latics pre-season build up will reach a climax this weekend when they play three games in four days. They start with a visit to non-league Rhyl on Friday night (kick-off 7:30 pm) and then it is off to the Isle of Man on Saturday night. It is back to match action on Sunday when they face newly-promoted Burnley before taking on the Isle of Man 24 hours later. Boss Andy Ritchie said: "It is going to be a tough few days, but we will get it done. "We have done it before."
Ritchie, whose side beat new Conference side Leigh RMI 3-2 on Tuesday night, will be looking for an improved performance against the part-timers of Rhyl. 
He said: "I know these games aren't all about winning but we need to defend better. "We were more rusty than I expected at Leigh, but we will get fitter as the games go on. "We haven't done much team play in training yet so there is still a lot to work on." Ritchie is expected to rotate his players for the trip to North Wales in order to give all members of his squad a game. He still has to name his squad for the Isle of Man football festival but he is restricted to just 16 players.
The Latics won the trophy last season and Ritchie is keen to hold on to it. He said: "The competition was strong last season and it will be again. "It is still early days but we need to get started and we must begin to look more solid at the back. "It is going to be more about work and progress than anything else and we still have a lot to do." 

McNiven's jaw breaker
 
Oldham's transfer-listed defender Scott McNiven has undergone surgery on his fractured jaw. The 22-year-old has been given an extra week off pre-season training to help him recover from the surgery. He picked up the injury playing five-a-side with a local amateur side in his home town of Blackpool. The injury will certainly keep him out for at least the start of the new season. The Latics have three other players currently injured after picking up knocks in pre-season training. Danny Boshell has a hip injury, Ryan Sugden an ankle injury and Neil Adams took a knock on his foot. None of the injuries are too serious and all three are expected to be back in action within the week. 

Striker talks ongoing
 
Talks to bring in a new striker are said to be ongoing this week. Latics boss Andy Ritchie remains confident of securing the services of a new frontman before the season kicks off. He said: "Negotiations with one player are getting more advanced and there are one or two other options. It is looking good but you can never tell." The manager's caution is understandable as free-transfer players tend not to commit themselves too early and often prefer to take the risk of other clubs coming in with better offers.
 Predictions latest Paul of Bury St. Edmunds Premier League Champions: Some club called UnitedPremier League Relegated: Charlton, Ipswich, Bradford Division One Champions: BlackburnDivision One Play-Offs: Huddersfield, Fulham, Wimbledon, WatfordDivision One Relegated: Burnley, Crewe, Division Two Champions: Bristol RoversDivision Two Promoted: Bristol Rovers, Reading, Oldham (One lives in hope)Division Two Play Offs (4 teams): Stoke, Wigan, Oldham, Notts CountyDivision Two Relegated (4 teams):Rotherham United, Cambridge United, Oxford United, Bury (United) Division Three Champions: Scunthorpe UnitedDivision Three Promoted: Scunthorpe United, Cardiff City, Halifax Town, BrightonDivision Three Play-Offs: Brighton, Cheltenham Town, Hull City, DarlingtonDivision Three Relegated: Carlisle United Nationwide Conference: Rushden and Diamonds Scottish Premier Champions: Rangers FA Cup Winners: Liverpool League Cup Winners: Everton
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