Wanderers can look forward to a home tie in Thursday’s draw for the last 32 of the Vertu Trophy after completing a 100 per cent record in qualifying in emphatic fashion, writes Pete Oliver.
It would have taken an unlikely defeat by three goals to deny the Whites top spot in Group E and instead Steven Schumacher’s men further polished their goal difference at a rain-lashed Boundary Park to make doubly sure of home advantage at the first knock-out phase with a fifth successive victory.
After a penalty miss from Aaron Morley, Jordi Osei-Tutu gave Steven Schumacher’s men a half-time lead. And the Whites then turned up the power after the break with a John McAtee goal and two from Marcus Forss setting up a 10th win in the last 13 games in all competitions for the in-form Whites who did everything they had to in carrying their momentum into their weekend international break.
And there was still time for a special moment for teenage substitute Toby Ritchie to mark his first taste of senior football with a goal. The youth team striker, with the Whites since the age of seven, is a Wanderers’ fan but this time he was the one lapping up the acclaim as his opportunistic strike and a late Sam Salby header completed the half-dozen.
Schumacher had changed all 11 players from Saturday’s latest League One line-up but it was still a strong side which featured debuts for goalkeeper Nathan Broome and young defender Sean Hogan.
And Wanderers increasingly had the better of a slightly dis-jointed first half which ended with a deserved lead thanks to Osei-Tutu – the key man of the opening 45 minutes.
The winger saw an early effort cleared off the line by Latics’ substitute Charlie Olson and then won a penalty when getting the better of Reagan Ogle before pulled down by the Oldham defender.
A rare lapse from the spot saw Morley miss the target but 10 minutes later – and a minute before the break – Osei-Tutu took matters into his own hands to give Wanderers the lead.
Again, an elusive run cut open the hosts’ defence before a low drive had just too much power for goalkeeper Tom Donaghy to give the wideman his second goal of the season.
At the other end Broome had been untroubled and Hogan nicely assured with all of the other chances coming Wanderers’ way as Forss also saw an effort blocked in front of goal at the cost of a corner which Sam Dalby headed down and then up just over the bar.
And Will Forrester – making a welcome first start since April following injury – almost marked his comeback with a goal as his side-footed effort looked destined for the back of the net before hitting Dalby and bouncing wide.
Wanderers’ sold-out away following – making just a third visit to Oldham this century following a Covid-19 shut-out last time – were thankfully sheltered from the torrential rain that then lashed down at the start of the second half and three minutes in had a second goal to enjoy.
An initial opening on the break for Dalby was snuffed out but when Richard Taylor re-cycled the ball with a pass back to McAtee, a lovely feint and finish – curled inside the post – from just inside the penalty area from McAtee doubled the Whites’ lead.
McAtee then teed up Forss for a chance he saw blocked by Jake Leake before the Finn stung the hands of Donaghy with a fierce drive and it was all Wanderers as they headed into the next round as clear group winners.
Osei-Tutu was denied a second by another decent block from the busy Donaghy before the League Two Latics – bottom of the group without a point – enjoyed a flurry of chances as Joe Quigley headed wide, Kian Harratt smashed an effort against the post and Josh Hawkes smacked the rebound wide.
That re-awakened Wanderers and two goals in little more than two minutes from Forss doubled the size of the advantage. His first was a fabulous finish, curled into the far corner of the net with his left foot from outside the penalty area before an overdue slice of luck earned him another via a deflection off Leake.
Schumacher then made his changes which allowed him to give debuts to Harley Irwin and Ritchie. And after Kane Drummond had pulled a goal back for Oldham, Ritchie made it a night he won’t forget when he chased an excellent long ball from fellow academy hopeful Hogan and lifted the ball over Donaghy and in off the underside of the bar to claim his debut goal.
Suddenly it was raining goals. With just under 10 minutes to go Dalby got in on the act, diving to nod in from close range after substitute Charlie Warren’s shot was parried by Donaghy before Oldham’s Kieron Morris pulled another back to finally complete the entertainment on a night that had almost everything.
Wanderers: Broome; Dacres-Cogley, Hogan, Forrester, Taylor; Morley (Irwin 73), Dempsey; Forss (Warren 73), McAtee (Ritchie 67), Osei-Tutu (Cissoko 73); Dalby (Lawrence 87). Substitutes: Miller, Sharples-Ahmed.
Booked: Dacres-Cogley, Dempsey
Oldham: Donaghy; Ogle, Sutton, Simeu (Olson 12), Leake; Woods; Harratt, Morris, Hawkes, Stevens (Drummond 61); Quigley (Fondop 75). Substitutes: Hudson, Butterfield-Mokone, Steele, Amos.
Booked: None
Referee: Greg Rollason
