Welcome to today's issue of 
BOUNDARY BULLET-zine
 
The Daily On-line e-zine for 191 Oldham Athletic Supporters Worldwide
 
Today's Edition for
 
    24th April 2000   
 

 
Today's Headlines
 
 Sports.com Notts County's alarming late season slump continued with their eighth home defeat. This time Oldham Athletic were the victors and the result simply underlined the visitors' splendid revival since they lost to Notts on their own ground at the beginning of October. They were then bang at the bottom of the Second Division and appeared to be heading for relegation. Player manager Andy Ritchie has turned things around to the extent that Oldham are now confident of finishing in the top half. Considering his side's late season decline Notts manager Gary Brazil could do with something of the same touch. Only five weeks ago Notts beat Brazil's former club Preston North End and seemed to have set themselves up to consolidate a place in the top six. Its all gone wrong since.

Notts have lost five and drawn one of their subsequent half dozen matches and could not complain that Oldham went away with three points in front of the season's lowest home attendance for a league match. Notts defender Richard Liburd, who is prone to costly errors, made a decisive mistake on 71 minutes with a badly judged back pass to goalkeeper Darren Ward. Matthew Tipton, who had only been on the field for nine minutes, nipped in to shoot across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net. Oldham ought to have taken the lead in their first attack of the second half when defender Andy Holt stole forward to a free-kick but headed weakly straight at Ward. After Tipton's strike fellow-substitute Steve Whitehall twice went close, on the first occasion after 76 minutes with a low shot just past Ward's right hand upright. Ward throughout was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers and Gary Kelly scarcely had to make a save.

County's biggest threats were supplied by defender Andy Hughes - formerly of Oldham - before he went off with a thigh strain early in the second half. Hughes set up a chance for Mark Stallard who headed wide and then was at the end of a move between Craig Ramage and Stallard - probably County's best of the whole game - which finished with an effort brushing the outside of the net. But County's threats were, in reality, few and far between and it turned out to be an unhappy special visit for 102-year-old Frank Prowdrill, the club's guest of honour, who has been a supporter for 87 years. He has surely known far better times than these. Notts boss Brazil confessed afterwards that the wheels had come off and said that the players would be glad to get to the end of the season. The boos which rang around Meadow Lane at the final whistle suggested that the fans feel the same way.
 
 
 
Notts County 0, Oldham 1

Last three meetings
Oldham 1, Notts County 2 (2/10/1999)
Notts County 0, Oldham 1 (9/1/1999)
Oldham 1, Notts County 3 (8/8/1998)

Final


Final Results
Notts County 0 Oldham 1
Name, Minutes
No Scorers
Name, Minutes
Tipton, 71 

Yellow Cards
Name, Minutes
Rapley, 75
foul
  Name, Minutes
No Yellow Cards

Red Cards
Name, Minutes
No Red Cards
  Name, Minutes
No Red Cards

Match Stats
12 Goal Attempts 14
5 (On Target) 5
0 (Bar/Post) 1
18 Fouls 10
5 Offsides 3
8 Corners 4

Match Squads & Ratings
2 stars (out of 5)
Notts County Oldham
G 1. Ward - 7
M 2. Hughes - 8
D 3. Liburd - 5
D 4. Redmile - 6
D 5. Dyer - 6
M 6. Bolland - 7
M 7. Owers - 6
8. Brough - 6
M 9. Ramage - 6
F 10. Stallard - 6
F 11. Rapley - 6
G 1. Kelly - 7
D 2. McNiven, S - 7
D 3. Holt - 7
D 4. Garnett - 8
D 5. Thom - 6
D 6. Salt - 6
D 7. Jones - 7
8. Boshell - 7
M 9. Hotte - 6
M 10. Sugden - 6
F 11. Dudley - 6
Substitutes Substitutes
M 2. Holmes (52) - 6
F 11. Hessernamn (78)
12. Gibson
13. Ford
14. Blackmore
D 3. Tipton (62) - 7
M 10. Whitehall (69) - 7
12. Miskelly
13. Walsh
14. Futcher
*Players ranked from 4 (lowest) to 10 (highest)
Referee: A. R. Leake
 


 Teamtalk Oldham A second half goal from substitute Matthew Tipton gave Oldham a one nil win against Notts County at Meadow Lane. The goal came against the run of play when a poor clearance from Liburd fell to Tipton who beat Ward with a low shot. The win was revenge for the Latics who were beaten by the Magpies 2-1 at Boundary Park in October. With both teams in the safety of mid-table, it was tempting to think that this would be a drab end-of-season affair, but far from it as both sides started brightly with chances at both ends in an open first half. The injury hit Oldham side had eight players aged 21 or under but looked impressive in the opening minutes. But the first real chance fell to the home side in the 5th minute when Stallard's shot was well saved by Latics keeper Kelly. Stallard was again involved when he headed Andy Hughes' cross wide of the target, and in an action replay Stallard was wide again from the former Oldham man's cross. He should have done better. The best chance of the half for the visitors came in the 24th minute. It fell to Stuart Thom but he delayed his shot and allowed goalkeeper Darren Ward to rush from his line to save at his feet. 
Earlier, when Dyer's clearance was charged down, Ward was forced into a good save by Boshell. County, whose play-off chances disappeared at Wycombe last Saturday, began to dominate in the closing stages of the half and almost took the lead after a fine length of the field move which ended with Hughes' shot being well saved by Kelly. In the second half chances were few and far between though again the home side had the greater share of possession. Rapley's overhead kick was just wide for County, while at the other end Holt's header was straight at Ward. But against the run of play, the Latics took the lead in the 71st minute and the goal came from an error in the home defence. Liburd's attempted headed clearance fell for substitute Matthew Tipton who fired home from a narrow angle.
Oldham withstood the home side's late pressure to hang on for a great win.
 Manchester Evening NewsOLDHAM ATHLETIC 1 CARDIFF CITY 2

THE biggest smile at Boundary Park belonged to former Oldham favourite Jon Hallworth. The cropped Cardiff keeper, who is nursing a broken finger, watched his teammates grab a survival lifeline to condemn the Latics to a fourth defeat in five games. His verdict: ‘‘We were comfortable winners’’. He was spot on. This was yet another depressing display from an Oldham side that looked to have lost its heart. Boss Andy Ritchie had called for all out effort to finish the season on a high. But for some reason the players just continued their wayward ways. Even Stuart Thom’s second goal of the season in the 15th minute only served to give false hope. Cardiff fighting for their lives — it is a good job Oldham aren’t in that position — bounced back to equalise on the stroke of half-time through Jason Bowen. The winner came six minutes later with Paul Brayson’s first league goal in two years. Ritchie, on a scouting mission, was spared the agony of another surrender. That was left to his No 2 Billy Urmson, who was left to groan: ‘‘There are no excuses. We should have wrapped it up by half-time.’’


 ESPN Soccernet Young substitute Matthew Tipton gave Oldham an unlikely win and sentenced Notts County to their eighth home defeat of the season. Injury-hit Athletic, fielding a side packed with youngsters, must have feared the worst against a county side who have been among the play-off places for much of the season. But Darren Ward needed to make excellent first half saves from Danny Boshell and Stuart Thom and then Oldham snatched a winner after 71 minutes. The chance was presented to them by an awful back pass from Richard Liburd and Tipton, who had only been on the field for nine minutes, raced clear to beat Ward from a sharp angle.
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