24th September 2000   

Latics draw at Cherries

STRIKER Mark Allott scored his second goal of the season as Oldham drew at Bournemouth. Allott cut in from the left wing and beat three Bournemouth defenders before firing a right-foot shot low inside goalkeeper Gareth Stewart’s right-hand post after just 12 minutes. Andy Ritchie’s side had started the brighter of the two teams and Canadian international Carlo Corazzin came close to giving the Latics the lead a minute before Allott’s sensational run. Rookie Bournemouth keeper Stewart waited on the edge of the area as the ball rolled towards him but Corazzin nipped in and came close to scoring before Stewart nicked the ball off the former Cambridge striker’s toes. But the home side went on to dominate the rest of the first half without managing to beat Oldham keeper Gary Kelly. Left wingback Stephen Purches stormed down the wing after he was put through by Richard Hughes on 20 minutes but Gary Kelly saved his 15 yard strike with the help of his determined back line.

Defender Chris Lightfoot headed behind a Neil Young cross five minutes later. Lightfoot’s diving effort looked destined for the top corner but it missed the top right-hand post, much to the relief of the pressurised Oldham defence. Lee Duxbury headed behind another Young cross a minute later before Richard Hughes and Steve Fletcher combined well for the home side, only to see another Bournemouth effort go wide of Kelly’s goal. Scott McNiven could only clear as far as right wingback Young on the half-hour mark but the former Tottenham man sent his dipping volley just over Kelly’s crossbar from the edge of the area. Carl Fletcher should have equalised for Sean O’Driscoll’s side a minute later but he put a 16 yard effort wide with the unmarked James Hayter screaming for the ball on the penalty spot. Mark Allott was put through 10 minutes before the break and looked set to score his and Oldham’s second of the afternoon before on loan Bournemouth defender David Woozley dispossessed the 22-year-old with a perfectly timed sliding tackle. But it was Bournemouth who should have scored just before the break. Fortunately for Andy Ritchie, Andrew Holt deflected another Neil Young effort wide of Kelly’s goal.

Referee David Elleray attempted to calm Andy Ritchie down towards the end of the first half as tempers in the Oldham dugout began to fray. Bournemouth captain Steve Fletcher equalised for the home side 15 minutes into the second half when he headed home a Neil Young cross from just five yards out. Gary Kelly had no chance in the Oldham goal as Fletcher’s downward header bounced into the top corner. Oldham substitute Craig Dudley provided the best moments for his side as the Latics looked for a winner but the youngster was denied by a brilliant Jason Tindall tackle and a late David Woozley stop. Substitute Barry Prenderville headed over a Neil Adams cross six minutes from time but it was Bournemouth who should have won it when Richard Hughes put a free header wide of Kelly’s goal in the last minute. Oldham manager Andy Ritchie said: ‘‘I’m happy with the point. But we could have had two more if it wasn’t for one lapse of concentration. We threw it away with just one mistake, but I was pleased because we battled well and defended better than we had to a while.  ‘‘It was a great run from Mark Allott and a good goal, but we lost it after that and we had a lot of possession. ‘‘The midfield worked hard and young Paul Smith was blown out a little towards the hour mark.  ‘‘But he did well and so did the rest of the defence. Carlo Corazzin had to come off with a tight hamstring. There was no point keeping him on as we don’t want any silly injuries at this stage.’’

Bournemouth began to come back into the game and they nearly got a equaliser on 20 minutes when left wing-back Stephen Purches carved out an opening for himself. The former West Ham defender found himself one-on-one with the in a great position Oldham keeper but his shot from 10 yards was blocked by the feet of Kelly. Referee David Elleray took a walk over to the Oldham bench and had words with Andy Richie and his team after he spotted some over-zealous touchline remonstrations. But this was not a bad-tempered game and it was a healthy change that they were more goalbound chances than bookings for players. Bournemouth went close to an equaliser on 30 minutes when Carl Fletcher was sent clear from a clever flick from Neil Young.

But Fletcher fluffed his shot and put it wide from 10 yards, when striker James Hayter was better placed to convert the chance. Fletcher made up for is earlier greediness on 33 minutes when he slid a ball through to Hayter, but the young striker's touch was clumsy and the chance escaped. After the break Bournemouth had all the play and on 61 minutes Fletcher got the goal that their patient passing and work rate had warranted. And midfielder Richard Hughes had a chance to win the match in the dying seconds, but his header from a Wade Elliott cross flashed wide of the target.

BOTW.co.uk

Carlo Corazzin may have had a quiet game, but his strike partner Allott took only twelve minutes to walk his way through the Bournemouth defence like a knife through butter to give Bournemouth yet another deficit to fight back from. A run that started from a safe position on the field wasn't fully tracked by any of the Bournemouth defenders and Allott was allowed to advance into a shooting position and fire low past a very unhappy Gareth Stewart.
 

To be honest, Oldham deserved that lead from the first twelve minutes play and it was between the two goals that Bournemouth played their best football of the match. Steven Purches showed more of last weeks flair of going forward, twice getting into a shooting position from deep and forcing a fine save from Kelly on the latter attempt. On the other flank, this seasons revelation, Neil Young continued to enjoy getting forward making the most of the generous space he was given. On one occasion, Neil cut inside and shot instead of providing a cross, which nearly saw his fourth goal ever for Bournemouth on his 250th appearance. His defending was sound though, especially from corners. Each corner of the first half taken by Oldham was met by Young's head at the near post. A very tight unit the Oldham defence were proving to be, working very close together, which allowed for the space out wide and nothing was able to get through the middle, but James Hayter's persistent running did cause a few problems, but he couldn't finish any of the chances presented to him, which was the story of a frustrating first half, the most frustrating point being when a super ball was put through to Carl Fletcher and with only the keeper to beat, he skewed his shot wide of goal.

Same again Bournemouth. A better second half saw them clinch yet another 1-1 draw with Younger and Soupa combining to great effect, but missed chances from both sides ensured that the points were shared.

The second half saw more of the same, a good and patient build up by Bournemouth, but a lack of cutting edge upfront. This was highlighted when another was put behind the Oldham defence that Hayter scooped over the top when the goal looked almost certain. Just like the previous week, Chukki, Elliott and O'Conner were brought on in the second half as the tempo did slightly increase and just like last week that equaliser came, but thankfully, much earlier in the game. A super cross by Neil Young was met at the back post by Steve Fletcher who had peeled away from his marker before striking the header home. A goal that saw Oldham tighten up their defence as my man to watch, Carlo Corazzin was taken from the field. A quiet game from him in all respects.
 

And after the goal, with the crowd expecting Bournemouth to press forward for a winner, the tempo fell again as the match fizzled out. It seemed as if both teams were happy to play out for the point, although Oldham had a few dangerous swung in corners and by all accounts should have had a penalty with less than five minutes to go. Oldham had a throw on the right hand side, and while they were about to take it, Angus and Dudley were jostling in the box when Angus snapped and had a kick at Dudley from behind. This was missed by the ref., otherwise a penalty would surely have been awarded. Perhaps a carry on from a previous incident whereby Dudley went on a blazing run to see himself with only Stewart to beat when Tindall and Angus both came in on him to deny the shot. Duxbury and Hughes both had late chances, but the draw was on the cards for much of this game between two sides that I doubt will be pushing the pace setters at the top of the league. Overall though, a fair result in a game with little inspiration.

TEAMtalk Oldham

Oldham boss Andy Ritchie was happy to come home with a point after Saturday's 1-1 draw against a Bournemouth side still unbeaten at home. But he also reckoned the Latics could have taken all three as they went in search of their first away win of the season. Striker Mark Allott rediscovered his scoring touch after going 10 games without a goal -- and his super strike was well worth the wait. He cut in from the left wing and beat three defenders before firing a right-foot shot low inside the keeper's right-hand post in the 12th minute for only his second of the campaign. The Latics defence held firm until the 61st minute when slack covering allowed the home side's skipper Steve Fletcher to head home from five yards out. Ritchie said: "If it hadn't been for that one lapse of concentration we could have had all three points. "We threw it away with just one mistake. "But I was still happy with a point because we battled well and defended better than we have done in a while. "It was a great run from Mark Allott for his goal and after that we had a lot of possession without making it count. "On top of defending well, the midfield also worked hard and I was pleased with the all round performance."
 

The Latics also had an injury scare to striker Carlo Corazzin. The Canadian international was brought off after 61 minutes and Ritchie explained: "He had a tight hamstring. "There was no point keeping him on because we don't want any silly injuries at this stage of the season." Corazzin will be on the treatment table on Monday to be ready in time for Wednesday night's trip to Sheffield Wednesday for the second leg, second round Worthington Cup tie.