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Oldham’s Wembley chances rely on Kuqi form
Oldham Athletic will now have to face Chesterfield in the first leg of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy (JPT) today following the decision by the referee to postpone Tuesday’s match. Having seen the pictures of the B2Net’s pitch it is fair to say that the surface was most definitely frozen, putting to bed the disparaging conspiracy theory aimed at the Chesterfield management team and their desire to have the match moved in order to complete some much-needed transfer business.
In the meantime, Athletic manager Paul Dickov will have an extra day to prepare his side for two tough fixtures. Whilst John Sheridan’s Chesterfield are currently propping up the rest of the teams in League One, the lure of the Wembley green will add to the determination to secure victory over the two legs. However, the chance to play on the fields of Wembley should only spur on the Oldham players too.
Fresh from defeat at rivals Huddersfield on Saturday, Athletic need to find their clinical edge for Wednesday, especially after their wastefulness against Chesterfield at the start of the New Year. The 1-1 draw could – and should – have been a heavy away victory for the Latics, but a tremendous performance from Chesterfield’s goalkeeper Tommy Lee and a lack of composure from the Athletic attack allowed Chesterfield to claim a point on their journey to League One survival.
Paul Dickov failed to hide his disappointment in the weekend’s 1-0 loss at the Galpharm. The battling team performance (the second in just over a week following their 5-1 defeat at Anfield in the FA Cup) should have been rewarded with a deserved point, but a 86th minute goal, scored by Huddersfield substitute Alan Lee, was a bitter blow in what would have been Athletic’s seventh consecutive away draw.
Following Kenny Dalglish’s complimentary comments aimed at the Oldham team, Huddersfield manager Lee Clark was equally flattering in his post-match interview. He declared that Oldham were the best side defensively his Terriers have faced all season. However, Latics need to find more in attack, especially Shefki Kuqi, whose form has dipped dramatically since Christmas.
Dickov needs one of his star men to improve quickly, and despite the team’s slight over-reliance on the form of the 35-year Finn, his goals secure victories for Oldham, although his effort and commitment remains commendable. It would indeed be a major surprise if Dickov was to drop Kuqi to the bench since his quality has shone through in the JPT, but Matt Smith performed excellently in the New Year fixture against the Spireites, scoring his team’s only goal.
With the central-midfield partnership consisting of Dean Furman and James Wesolowski reunited and looking in tip-top condition, clinical finishing in the opposition’s box is the only obstacle Latics must overcome. Rediscovery of their goal-scoring form in November (which included five against Chesterfield in a 5-2 home win) would improve Oldham’s chances in tomorrow night’s fixture no-end, and with Chesterfield’s wretched form showing few signs of drastic improvement, a revitalised Shefki Kuqi could drag Athletic over the finishing line and on to Wembley.
Posted by Oldham fan Craig Worswick
Follow Craig on Twitter @CraigOAFC
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