The annual mid-season break for the Alex ends with a home game against Oldham Athletic tomorrow afternoon at the Alexandra Stadium with the hosts having won their last 2 home games while the visitors are unbeaten in 6 games in all competitions.
Looking at the visitors, so far this season they have 6 victories, 8 draws and 6 losses in the league as they sit in 13th place, 2 places above the Alex. They have beaten Macclesfield Town, Morecambe, Crawley Town, Grimsby Town, Cheltenham Town and Cambridge United, they have drawn against Forest Green Rovers, Yeovil Town, Colchester United, Swindon Town, Mansfield Town, Notts County, Tranmere Rovers and Lincoln City while they have lost to MK Dons, Newport County, Carlisle United, Port Vale, Northampton Town and Stevenage.
In cup competitions, they lost to Derby County in the EFL Cup while they beat Hampton & Richmond Borough and Maidstone United in the FA Cup to set up a trip to Fulham next month in the 3rd Round. They have had some success in the EFL Trophy, winning back-to-back games against Bradford City and Everton’s Under-21s after an opening night defeat to Barnsley and will face Rochdale away from home next Tuesday in a re-arranged fixture after Wednesday night’s game was postponed due to a water-logged pitch.
Looking back in the archives, the two teams have met 76 times with Oldham leading the head-to-head with 40 wins to 18 with 18 draws. Crewe’s biggest win came in a 5-0 victory at the Alexandra Stadium in April 1959 while Oldham’s biggest win came at Boundary Park with a 4-0 win in November 1954. The last meeting was in the EFL Trophy last season with the Latics winning 1-0 while the season the clubs played in the league was the 2015/16 season with both teams also winning 1-0 at home.
Who are the officials for the game?
The officials for this game see Brett Huxtable as the man in the middle where he is assisted by Matthew Parry and Steven Rushton with Mark Cunliffe being the fourth official. During the last 5 seasons the following Crewe games have been refereed by Huxtable:
- Cheltenham Town 2-0 Crewe Alexandra (27th August 2016)
- Notts County 4-1 Crewe Alexandra (3rd February 2018) – Miller
- Newport County 1-0 Crewe Alexandra (11th August 2018)
- Cheltenham Town 0-0 Crewe Alexandra (15th September 2018)
I asked Oldham supporter George Parkin for his thoughts going into the game.
What do you think of Oldham’s season so far?
I think we have had a below average start to the season. Too many home defeats have been the problem. With that said we are only a handful of points away from the playoffs, so I’m sure we can finish in the playoffs.
What do you think of Oldham’s transfer activity over the summer?
Our summer transfer activity has been a positive one in my eyes. The loan players we have brought in have been great. Daniel Iversen (goalkeeper) on loan from Leicester has been great as so have Surridge and Lang. A few players we released was needed due to off the field problems.
What do you think the team will be for Saturday’s game?
Hard to say with the injuries we have picked up. Iversen, Edmundson, Clarke, Nepomuceno, Lang, Surridge and Hunt will all feature
Who would you say is the one player that we should look for in the Latics’ team?
I believe the one player you should look out for Sam Surridge on loan from Bournemouth. He’s a striker who has scored a number of goals already.
What do you think would be a respectable season for yourselves and who do you think will be promoted and relegated at the end of the season?
A few fellow Latics fans may raise their eyebrows but I’m still not discounting the automatics. Although I do think we may just fall short we are good enough to finish in the playoffs for sure.
Unfortunately, the plastic club from Milton Keynes will get promoted alongside Lincoln and Mansfield with us being the playoff winner. I think Morecambe and Cambridge will be relegated.
