Payton robs the Ritchie

A COUPLE of hours before this game Oldham Athletic were featured on BBC's Football Focus missing out on a place in the 1994 FA Cup final thanks to a last-gasp Mark Hughes goal for Manchester United at Wembley.

How the mighty have fallen. And I don't just mean Hughes.

Five years later to the day and Oldham, who were still a Premiership club when they lost their semi-final replay to United, were engaged in a relegation battle with Burnley fighting to keep out of the Football League's basement division.

The Latics have been in terminal decline since that 94-95 season ended in the double heartache of FA Cup agony and relegation to Division One.

And it would be sad if it was Andy Ritchie - a playing legend at Boundary Park who came on as a substitute in that ill-fated replay against one of his former clubs and a nice man to boot - who took them into the Third Division.

That prospect is a distinct possibility after Andy Payton's second-half equaliser sent Oldham into the bottom four. But Ritchie was adamant after his side had failed to win at home for the 14th time this season that the Latics wouldn't go down.

And his players' determination to prove him right meant that they pushed Burnley every inch of the way of a frantic game dogged by a gusting wind and a firm pitch.

Payton's 21st goal of the season and fourth in as many games extended the Clarets unbeaten run to five matches.

But with Colchester, York, Wycombe, Northampton and Macclesfield all winning, Burnley aren't clear of danger yet and their safety margin above the drop zone was trimmed to three points.

Payton's goal repaired the damage of a first half largely dominated by Oldham but did not provide the platform for victory that looked likely at that stage.

Instead the Clarets went back into their shells late on which leaves them seeking some reward from tomorrow night's trip to Blackpool to reaffirm the message that they are capable of winning their own fight to stay up.

A record of one defeat in seven away games suggests Burnley have the capability to keep their heads above water but they will need to show more consistency over the 90 minutes at Blackpool than they did here.

Although while Payton's around they will always have a chance.

In difficult conditions and playing against the wind in the first half, Burnley were largely outgunned before the break as Lee Duxbury drove Oldham on from midfield.

The Clarets were forced into some desperate defending early on as the home side forced half-a-dozen corners in the first 15 minutes. The threat was largely negated, however, by some excellent handling from keeper Paul Crichton and brave defending from the triumvirate of Gordon Armstrong, Steve Davis and Chris Brass who were often stretched but invariably got in the telling clearance.

That was never more apparent than when Brass, possibly with the help of a post, cleared off the line from the lively Matthew Tipton after half-an-hour.

The woodwork certainly saved Burnley a minute later when Paul Beavers struck an upright but Oldham finally got their reward seven minutes before half-time.

Andrew Holt sparked off the danger with a cross-field pass that eluded Tom Cowan but not Scott McNiven whose far post cross was hooked over the line by Tipton at the third attempt.

Burnley, missing flu-victim Glen Little, had looked dangerous on the break but failed to make the most of a couple of promising bursts from Micky Mellon and Paul Cook and the nearest they came to a goal before Oldham's strike was a Mellon drive which went just over.

However, the Clarets looked a different side after the re-start with Andy Cooke prominent on his shock return to the action after six games out following an appendix operation.

Twice his crosses from the left almost led to goals but Payton was squeezed out by Shaun Garnett and Davis saw his header clawed away by keeper Gary Kelly. The route to goal had been established, though, and inevitably it was Payton who followed it through to make it 1-1.

This time the source came through the middle via Mellon's excellent pass and after one touch had teed him up and committed Kelly, Payton clipped the ball over the Latics keeper in another exemplary finish in front of the 4,000 plus Burnley supporters.

With Cook stamping his influence on the game and coaxing Burnley forward and Tom Cowan beginning to rampage up the left flank it looked for a spell as though the visitors were on their way to another crucial win.

But a couple of further link-ups between Payton and Mellon just broke down at the critical moment and the pendulum gradually swung back Oldham's way.

Some hesitant defending and failure to clear their lines by the Clarets invited Oldham on to them.

But in truth the Latics lacked a cutting edge and the dropping of two points threatens to be more costly to them than to Burnley.

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