Thousands of Oldham Athletic fans head to Wembley

It's going to be a big day for Oldham Athletic and their fans

They face Southend United in the National League play-off final 

Author | Alex W

A victory would seal promotion to League Two, marking the end of a three-year absence from the Football League. Back in 2022, the club suffered the ignominy of becoming the first former Premier League side to drop into non-league football.

That low point now feels distant. A win at Wembley would complete an extraordinary revival under new owner Frank Rothwell, the popular local entrepreneur who took charge in the summer of 2022.

READ MORE | How Oldham reached the final

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Oldham finished fifth in the National League before sweeping aside Halifax Town 4-0 at Boundary Park. They then dispatched third-placed York City 3-0 in front of a raucous away end at the LNER Community Stadium to book their place in the play-off final.

More than 21,000 Oldham supporters are expected to descend on Wembley for the club’s first appearance at the national stadium in over three decades, their last coming in the 1994 FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

Oldham were moments away from reaching the FA Cup final

Potential ticket fiasco avoided

The decision to cap ticket allocations at 17,500 per club sparked widespread frustration after it emerged the restriction was due to engineering works closing Wembley Park tube station.

Following discussions involving Wembley Stadium, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham confirmed that the capacity had been increased to 50,000.

Additional tube services will run to Wembley Central, and extra trains will operate to Wembley Stadium railway station to help manage the influx of fans.

Southend have already sold nearly 29,000 tickets, putting the match on course to break the attendance record for a National League play-off final.

Good luck messages

A number of people connected to the club have recorded good luck messages. This includes former manager John Sheridan and former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes. You can view these by checking out Oldham’s social media channels.

Dan H is a huge Oldham fan but can't make the game because he lives and works in Scotland. Dan told us: "Gutted I can't make the game. I'll be making more matches next season. Just hoping we'll be an EFL club."