OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3, BRADFORD CITY 1
Oldham Athletic finally rediscovered home comforts with only their second Sky Bet League Two victory of the season at Boundary Park.
After recording only one win and taking four points from a possible 24 before Saturday’s triumph against Bradford City, this was a huge lift for head coach Harry Kewell.
While Latics were second in the away form table, they had until Saturday the third worst home record in the division.
It was also an afternoon of firsts as Dylan Bahamboula and captain Carl Piergianni both opened their goalscoring accounts for the club while Davis Keillor-Dunn was also on target against the struggling Bantams.
Incredibly this was the third clash between Latics and Bradford in the 33 days, and Latics completed a hat-trick of wins in those games which were in three different competitions, Papa John’s Trophy, Emirates FA Cup and League Two,
Kewell made six changes to the team which lost at home to Sunderland in the Papa John’s Trophy four days earlier.
There were recalls for Harry Clarke, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Ben Garrity, Dylan Fage, Conor McAleny and Alfie McCalmont.
Those losing out were Sido Jombati, Raphael Diarra, Callum Whelan, Jordan Barnett, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Danny Rowe.
The visitors had an early handball shout for a penalty in the seventh minute rejected by referee Anthony Blackhouse.
Bahamboula opened the scoring in the 10th minute following a deadly break from within his own half that saw the winger break down the right before cutting inside and firing low past goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell.
They doubled their advantage after 25 minutes when Piergianni headed home a corner from Bobby Grant. It was shortly after he had headed wide from another dead ball from Grant.
The Bantams were far from out for the count as Harry Pritchard, Connor Wood and Elliott Watt also had chances to reduce the deficit while a second shout for a penalty was waved away, this time for Piergianni’s challenge on wing-back Bryce Hossanah who was booked for simulation.
Clayton Donaldson summed up his side’s plight in the opening when he somehow failed to convert from six yards out, connecting with thin air instead of the ball.
The Bantams made a good start to the second half and Donaldson almost atoned for his first-half miss but his acrobatic effort went wide and moments later Lee Novak had the ball in the net but he had strayed offside.
Bahamboula was a whisker away from his second goal of the game in the 58th minute, his free kick flying narrowly wide.
Latics sealed victory in the 75th minute, substitute Keillor-Dunn cutting inside before sliding the ball past O’Donnell.
Zak Dearnley made a return to competitive action following the injury he picked up against Cheltenham Town, he replaced Grant with 10 minutes left.
Paudie O’Connor pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 86th minute as he powered home a header that gave goalkeeper Ian Lawlor no chance.
Moments later, Donaldson had another great chance, but his effort was blocked for a corner kick.
McAleny and Dearnley had late chances which, if converted, would have given Latics a more emphatic margin of victory as they inched closer to a top-half position.
Oldham Athletic: Lawlor, Clarke, Borthwick-Jackson (Barnett 64), Piergianni , Garrity, Grant (Dearnley 79), Fage, Ntambwe, McAleny, Bahamboula (Keillor-Dunn,64), McCalmont. Subs (not used): Bilboe, Whelan, Diarra, Hamer
Goals: Bahamboula ,10, Piergianni, 25, Keillor-Dunn, 75, for Oldham. O’Connor, 86, for Bradford.