Oldham are one of only a handful of teams in League One who are unlikely to be involved in the battle for promotion and relegation. The Latics sit just inside the bottom half, in 13th, 10 points shy of the play-off zone and six clear of the relegation places. They will of course want to ensure their safety but they are not in immediate danger and I would be extremely surprised if they are not plying their trade in League One next season. It is a league where they have huge experience in having played at this level since 1997 and there is something to be admired about their consistency with so many other similar sized clubs having suffered relegation during that time. Of course, the flip side of that is they have note enjoyed the thrill of promotion, despite finishing in the play-offs several times.
Sheffield United were pre-season favourites to win the League One title but they have never really been contenders, in truth. An extended run in the League Cup (reached the semi-finals) and a poor started to the campaign has meant they have always been trailing the leading pack. The best they can hope for now is finishing in the top six and taking their chance in the play-offs. They still have to guarantee their position to compete in the post season, though, but Tuesday’s come from behind 3-2 home win over Doncaster has gone a huge away to ensuring that’s the case. Those three points mean they have an eight point cushion over seventh placed Rochdale but the Blades have played a game more.
With little to play for other than pride and trying to finish as high up the table as possible, Dean Holden will be using the final few games to shape his squad for next season. Having only taken over as manger in February, he has not had a huge amount of time to work with the players and will be learning about them all the time. He will be hoping that Oldham can build on two good home performances with a comprehensive won over Rochdale which the followed up with a very decent draw against the league leaders, Bristol City. They face another test against a top side in this league but they are showing signs of improving under Holden.
The expectation that was placed upon Clough and his players – allied with how high a standard League One has been this season – it was never going to be easy for Sheffield United to finish in the top two. The fact that if they do make the play-offs they won’t be favourites to prevail may work in their favour. Clough and his management staff will be pleased with the players’ recent efforts having won four of their last five and lost only three of their last 15. The biggest change over the last month is the fact they have been picking up wins following a string of draws at the beginning of this year.
Oldham have shown no sign of slacking off despite not having much to play for, particularly at home. The visit of Sheffield United will be the last of the current top five to visit Boundary Park. They have taken four points from the four matches, managing to score against three of them. The Blades have a very decent record on their travels with nine wins and five draws from their 20 away games. There’s another part of their form on the road that sticks out more, however. Six of their last seven have featured both teams scoring, and four of those have been against teams in the bottom half of the table. I see this going a similar way.
Both teams to score 10/11 @ William Hill
