Oldham Athletic's poor home form continues

Oldham Athletic 0 - 0 Crewe Alexandra

Crewe returned to the League Two play-off positions after a goalless stalemate at mid-table Oldham.

Author | Alex W

Stadium | Boundary Park

They will, however, be left wondering how they failed to take all three points from Boundary Park after controlling long stretches of the contest in pursuit of a third consecutive league win.

Stoke loanee Emre Tezgel and Owen Lunt both rattled the woodwork, while Tezgel, the club’s leading scorer with eight goals, endured an afternoon to forget in front of goal as several chances went begging.

A victory would have nudged Crewe to the edge of the automatic promotion places, reflecting the progress they have made on the road this season.

Oldham’s clearest opening arrived shortly after the interval, only for Tom Booth to produce a sharp reaction stop from veteran forward Joe Garner's close-range header.

Both sides lacked quality

Mike Fondop was introduced in the hope of altering the rhythm and he very nearly did so on 80 minutes. A cross from Jake Caprice on the right found him rising in the box, but his looping header drifted just over the bar.

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Max Sanders threatened again for Crewe in the 88th minute when his deep delivery forced Hudson to backpedal, only for the ball to soar marginally too high and wide to trouble the net.

As the match moved into its closing moments, Latics pressed hard for a decisive goal. Mellon drew a low save from a free-kick and, from the resulting corner, there was a brief moment of suspense as a flicked effort headed towards goal. The referee’s whistle for a foul cut the drama short. It proved to be the final act as the contest ended level.

Yet the wider concern for Micky Mellon’s side remains their faltering home form. They have managed just one win from eight league matches, a worrying return and a letdown for the season’s largest crowd of 8,937.