CARLISLE UNITED 6, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0
Oldham Athletic were hit for six at Carlisle United on Boxing Day in what turned out to be Frankie Bunn’s last match as manager.
Bunn was dismissed less than 24 hours after the horror show at Brunton Park, reportedly be email.
The loss came one week after the home defeat by Exeter City that ended a six match unbeaten run in Sky Bet League Two.
But with Latics 12th and seven points adrift of the play-off places, owner Abdallah Lemsagan decided to make a change.
Ironically it was former Latics’ manager John Sheridan who inflicted the fatal blow as the Cumbrians completed a league double.
Yet it was a strange game in which Latics enjoyed more possession – 55 per cent to 45 and each side had nine goal attempts. It was simply Carlisle were clinical converting six out of seven on target efforts with Bunn critical of his side’s defending.
The corner count was also 11-1 in Latics’ favour, another statistic which underlined what an amazing game it was.
Yet at half time Latics were only 2-0 down to goals from Hallam Hope and Jerry Yates.
It was only in the last half hour when they capitulated conceding further goals from Ashley Nadesan, Danny Grainger, Yates and Gary Liddle who marked his 100th appearance with a stoppage-time goal.
After a bright start, in which there was no inkling of the horrors ahead, Carlisle opened the scoring after 18 minutes when Nadesan’s shot rebounded out to Hope who squeezed it home.
Latics responded well with Christopher Missilou running down the right before his cross was fizzed across goal with Surridge inches away from connecting.
However, the home side doubled their lead after half an hour when Jamie Devitt was allowed too much space for a shot on the edge of the box. Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen parried the initial effort, but Hope turned it back inside for Yates who slotted home from close range his third goal in three games.
Chris O’Grady had a huge chance to pull one back for Latics on the stroke of half-time as Andy Taylor’s cross fell to the striker but he spooned a shot over the crossbar from inside the six-yard box.
Carlisle had to weather heavy pressure from Latics early in the second half before extending their lead on the hour.
As Latics were pushing to get back into the game Carlisle countered with Hope crossing to Nadesan to score with a diving header.
It was 4-0 minutes later as Grainger fired in a free kick into the top corner from 30 yards.
Things got worse for Latics as Christopher Missilou made a mistake allowing Devitt to slide the ball into Yates’ path and he slotted the ball past Iversen.
Sam Surridge forced Adam Collin into a decent save before Liddle wrapped up the game in stoppage time, bundling the ball into the net from Hope’s cross.
Oldham Athletic (4-4-2): Iversen; Hunt, Clarke, Edmundson, Taylor; Lang, Maouche, Missilou, Nepomuceno; O’Grady (Branger-Engone 65), Surridge. Subs (not used): Lyden, Coke, Miller, Graham, Hamer, McFarlane.
Attendance: 5,465 (534 visitors).