Noah Chilvers scored the only goal as Oldham Athletic secured a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood Town in their EFL Trophy Group North match on Tuesday night. The win provides a welcome boost for Micky Mellon's side, who currently sit 16th in League Two with seven points from their opening seven games.
Chilvers struck just a minute into the second half, finishing off a move created by Elliott Nevitt. The goal proved decisive in a tightly contested game at Boundary Park. Oldham edged possession with 56 percent and managed eight shots, three of which were on target, while Fleetwood registered nine attempts but only two troubled goalkeeper M. Hudson.
The first half ended goalless, with Fleetwood's Finley Potter being replaced by R. Bennett at the interval. Chilvers' immediate impact after the restart changed the complexion of the game. Fleetwood manager M. Lawlor made a triple substitution just after the hour mark, introducing Jake Thomas Batty, Lewis McCann and Will Davies, but his side could not find an equaliser.
Oldham made changes of their own to see out the win, with Kane Drummond and Emmanuel Monthe coming on in the 72nd minute. Calum Kavanagh replaced the goalscorer Chilvers shortly after, and Mike Fondop-Talum entered the fray for Nevitt with nine minutes remaining. The match grew scrappy as Fleetwood pushed for a late leveller, resulting in yellow cards for Shaun Rooney and R. Cirino for the visitors, and a late booking for Oldham's Kavanagh.
The three points are valuable for Oldham's progression hopes in the EFL Trophy. It also marks a positive result following a difficult run in the league, where their recent form reads one win, one draw and three losses from the last five outings.
Attention now turns back to League Two action and a home fixture against Salford City this Saturday. Salford currently occupy 12th place, five points ahead of Oldham. Micky Mellon will be hoping the confidence from this win translates into league points. Check the details for that key match and the rest of the schedule on our fixtures page. The manager made five changes to his starting lineup for this Trophy tie, with Zain Tahir and Ryan Delaney among those who completed the full 90 minutes before being substituted.
