AFC Oldham Seconds 3-3 Mellor Thirds
Match report provided by Third Team Manager Adam Axford:
It was another tough week in terms of preparation for this game with a number of players out either injured or away, it was the same for all three teams at the club which meant there were no spare players and we arrived in Oldham with a bare 11. This was never going to be ideal against a side that are unbeaten having won one and drawn the other two of their three opening games.
On the back of two bitter defeats this was our chance to put a marker down and get our season back on track. We started poorly, conceding a sloppy goal in the first 5 minutes. A ball through to keeper Benn McGregor was thumped against the on-rushing striker and looped towards goal, new signing Robbie Beedles jostled with the attacker however the ball was turned towards the goal and goal keeper Benn and another defender were unable to prevent it from crossing the line.
Just three minutes later we were back in the game, a great move saw Fred Keyte released from the left hand side, springing the offside trap he made inroads into the 18 yard box before cutting it back to Ian Arnfield to grab his first goal of the season with a neat finish over the keeper.
The game swung in Oldham's favour, putting us under pressure when they had possession and playing a well-timed offside trap which caught us out at least 7-8 times in the first half alone. On 33 minutes Oldham grabbed another goal. Half time came with us trailing 2-1.
With no subs available we regrouped and changed tactics for the second half. On 60 minutes we got our reward, a deep corner that Oldham failed to deal with was laid off to Nick Entwistle who found the net. From the kick off we pressed Oldham high and their CM laid the ball back to the keeper however the pass was short, Arnfield latched on to the ball, rounded the keeper and put us in front; no less than we deserved for our second half performance, we were the much better side.
With 25 minutes to go Pat Rodgers took a knock on the toe which left him unable to run, a switch in formation meant we only really had one striker and had to shuffle bodies around to compensate. Following this change we were a bit unorganised, a ball lofted into the box caught us off guard and Oldham were able to grab an equaliser with 20 minutes to go.
A pair of fresh legs would have been a blessing at this point, with players slowly running out of steam. We remained on top and had another 3-4 chances however we couldn't convert them into the goal we deserved and the game ended 3-3. On another day with 1-2 subs we would certainly have beaten a poor Second team.
A mention has to go to James Langshaw making his senior Mellor debut, an assured performance at Right back and also to Robbie Beedles also making his Mellor debut at Centre back. Both played well and will be an asset going forward this season.
We have our first point of the season and will push on into the next game.
Up the Thirds.
