Oldham Athletic suffered a fourth consecutive League Two defeat as they were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Salford City at Boundary Park on Saturday. Calum Kavanagh's 21st-minute equaliser proved a brief respite in a game dominated by the visitors, who scored through Luke Molyneux, Kelly N'Mai, Brendan Sarpeng-Wiredu and substitute Adebola Oluwo.
The result consolidates a worrying start to the season for the Latics, leaving them 16th in the standings with just seven points from their opening seven matches. They are now eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places and a significant nine points from the summit of the table. Manager Micky Mellon, who made four changes from the side that lost at Rochdale and switched to a 5-3-2 formation, saw his team second best for long periods.
How the match unfolded
Salford struck first inside five minutes when Luke Molyneux's cross-shot found the far corner. Oldham responded quickly, with Kavanagh latching onto Keenan Appiah-Forson's pass to beat Will Norris just two minutes after N'Mai had doubled Salford's lead. The home side started the second half with intensity, but Sarpeng-Wiredu volleyed home in the 57th minute to restore the two-goal cushion. Oluwo completed the scoring nine minutes from time, finishing after Luke Garbutt's assist.
Despite creating more corners, Oldham managed only three shots on target from 18 attempts. Salford were more clinical, hitting the target seven times from 16 efforts. Referee Isaac Searle caused confusion by blowing for half-time earlier than the four minutes of added time indicated, with players heading for the tunnel before being called back to play the remaining seconds.
Micky Mellon said the changes were made to try and stop the rot. "We made four changes from the side that lost at Rochdale," the manager told reporters after the game. The defeat extends a worrying run that has seen Oldham take just one win from their last five league outings. The team's current form and individual contributions can be examined in more detail on the club's stats page.
Attention now turns to a trip to face Northampton Town next Saturday, a fixture detailed in the full fixtures list. Northampton currently sit 22nd in the division, presenting a critical opportunity for Oldham to halt their slide. The Latics will need to improve significantly to get their season back on track away from home.
