WITH the exception of the Premier League, top-level English football’s inclusion of the play-off system has meant that several teams have a lot to play for right up until the final day of the season.
Unlike some top-flight seasons when the champions have wrapped the league up months before the end of the year¾and the Champions League positions are all but set in stone ¾the dynamic in the second to fifth tiers takes on a whole new trajectory.
Oldham Athletic’s demise through the different levels of the English game has been one of the most brutal and destructive in recent memory. In the early years of the Premier League, the Greater Manchester-based club was one of the first 22 teams in the newly founded 1992/93 selection of teams.
No English club has fallen so far down the echelons of the domestic game. Despite Premier League teams claiming that they suffer from misfortune because of the odd VAR decision, Oldham fans can only roll their eyes. As we enter the business end of this year’s campaign, will Oldham be able to reverse their fortunes and scrape together results to try and bounce back to League Two?
Will Oldham Escape Fifth Tier
Undoubtedly, Micky Mellon’s men will continue fighting until the season’s final game. However, with some sports bookmakers offering odds of 25/1 for them to gain promotion, it’s not looking likely that they will return to the football league on their first attempt. While it isn’t a fool proof indicator, and Oldham are at long odds to escape the fifth tier this year, the sportsbooks are usually a strong indicator.
Most Latics fans resigned themselves to another season in the fifth tier following their crunch match against fellow play-off hopefuls Aldershot Town a few weeks ago. Despite injuries and a challenging away fixture, there are underlying factors that could shift the odds in their favour for upcoming games. A quick glance over betting guides can help dive into these details, and some sites offer this built-in, for example, Kwiff runs a satellite site that hosts guides on the odds, payment options, and Kwiff withdrawal systems.
Another Season of Woe for the Tics
Following this loss, you could sense the wind had gone out of the sails¾Mellon’s dejected post-match interview perfectly summed up the disappointment many Latics felt after watching such a lacklustre display. While they weren’t favourites going into the game and had to contend with a host of injuries and a long trip down south, it was a dismal performance, and Aldershot could have easily won the game by three or four goals. The hangover from the bitter Aldershot blow continued, and although the Latics picked up a point against the runaway champions Chesterfield, the fact they squandered a two-goal lead exemplified how the season has panned out. They have some elements of promise, but ultimately, they cannot see games out and lose concentration when it matters.
A Route to League Two
Make no mistake, there needs to be a collection of fellow play-off hopefuls capitulating and the Latics winning all of their remaining games. Even then, they might not do enough to make it out of the league. But a strong finish, close to the play-offs, could bode well for next season.
It would be a great boost for the area and welcome local news if they could climb out of the National League¾with the greatest respect to the other teams around them, Oldham is a much bigger club than their current league status, and it represents a torrid time for them in their history. However, there’s probably just a bit too much to do for them in their final few games to be within a chance of promotion via the play-offs.
Final Thoughts
If the Latics can string together some big wins over the final leg of the season and other clubs can fall by the wayside and slip up, then we could see the sportsbooks shorten their odds regarding Oldham potentially squeezing into that top six.
Their recent form is the most worrying, with no wins in the last six and teams above them also having games in their hands. The determined Latics need to make a complete turnaround on their current form if they’re even thinking of obtaining a play-off spot.
If we’re looking at the glass half full—if they can keep the nucleus of this squad and make a spirited but ultimately failed bid at making it into the top six¾then they will likely be there or thereabouts next season. However, stranger things have happened in football, and if the Latics have shown us anything this season, it’s that they can often be at their best when they’re at their most unpredictable.
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