Player ratings are back!
Mark Howard (3)
A bad day at the office for the keeper. At times, Howard`s kicking was agonising to watch. Lacked urgency in the latter stages to release the ball to the on-rushing Wanderers frontline. Flapped awfully at the cross for their goal and with our luck we unfortunately saw his excuse of a clearance ricochet off the unfortunate Jay Spearing and land in the net with help from Lee Erwin.
Dorian Dervite (5)
A steady performance from the Frenchman. Nothing pretty but stuck to his task. We`re starting to see a real improvement in consistency from Dervite. However, I was furious to see his shot cleared off the goal line helped by the some desperate Oldham defending.
Mark Beevers (5)
Again Beevers showed his dominance in the air and led the backline fairly well. Surprisingly caught out for Oldham`s goal due to poor positioning. Wanderers failed to use the real threat Beevers carries and that his height in the penalty area; possibly unused due to the poor crossing by both wingers.
David Wheater (5)
Similar to Beevers. Gritty at the back but again failed to use his strengths which was needed in a crowded Oldham penalty area.
Dean Moxey (2)
He really doesn`t help himself. Moxey`s first half performance filled me with some sort of confidence but his attitude drastically changed in the second half, especially in the lead up to Oldham`s goal when he was seen trotting back with a lack of any sort of desire. How can anyone defend such a poor second half performance and unsurprisingly led to some critical comments from the Wanderers faithful.
Darren Pratley (4)
Huffed and puffed but couldn`t find a way to break the reluctant Oldham backline. Pratley had multiple opportunities to break the deadlock but a mixture of poor technique and a bobbly pitch let him down. Looked very frustrated towards the end.
Derik Osede (6)
A great performance from the Spaniard. Dictated play in the first half and made some great challenges which set him up nicely for the rest of the game. One criticism I would make and it isn`t really on Derik`s part but we flooded the midfield but we were failing to link the midfield with the attack. This made Derik`s work unnecessary when trying to grab a late equaliser.
Jay Spearing (6)
Very good again from Jay. Battled well and provided some instinctive passes out wide that sliced the Oldham defence. Maybe a bit more composure in front of goal and Spearing may have been able to grab a goal. Very unfortunate for the goal and is definitely not to blame.
Josh Vela (5)
Brilliant first half. Put unnecessary pressure on the Oldham defence and linked up fairly well with Le Fondre. But in the second half, the space in midfield became smaller and gaps weren`t really opening up for the youngster.
Filipe Morais (4)
Worst performance in a Wanderers shirt to date and it wasn`t even that bad! Looked fatigued and very sluggish on the ball. Still carried a huge threat going forward with his blistering pace but his crossing was very hopeful and inaccurate today.
Adam Le Fondre (4)
Given absolutely nothing to work with. Looked very isolated up top on his own and struggled to adapt to the physical presence of the Oldham defence. However, he did create one chance but only to see it miserably float way past the upright; a clever idea but a powerful strike was needed to beat the inform Ripley from there. Disappointed.
Ref Watch – Peter Bankes (6)
A good enough performance from Mr . Overall he generally made the correct decisions throughout, only making one controversial decision when Fil Morias shot clearly clipped the on-rushing Oldham defender but to only be awarded as a goal kick, just as Wanderers were starting to build some pressure. Also made the correct decision to send off Oldham striker Ngoo, who made two rash challenges and deservedly shown two yellows.
Star Man- The Fans
Again the Wanderers faithful turned up in their numbers, an astonishing 4,500. Deserved so much better but again were found on the unfortunate side of a result. The numbers clearly show the true loyalty and dedication the Wanderers fans have to the club and players. Hopefully they are repaid with a promotion to the Championship.