JACK POPS UP TO KEEP FAINT MOORS HOPES ALIVE
Stevens 90+5
A STUNNING overhead kick equaliser from Solihull’s Jack Stevens denied Oldham Athletic victory in a week when the club took back their famous Boundary Park ground back under its ownership.
A fizzing long-distance effort from Mark Kitching looked set to secure the Latics consecutive home league wins for the first time this season until Stevens popped up to ensure Moors collected 13 points from a possible 15 to keep their faint play-off hopes alive.
“We deserved the draw,” manager Neal Ardley said with his side just one place and seven points off a play-off place.
“It looked like one of those games but we went for it at the end and got a scrappy but brilliantly taken goal.
“We’re trying to win every single game and know it’s going to be tough, but we have seven huge games to come and want to keep those ahead of us worried.”
Oldham boss Dave Unsworth insisted his side should have taken all three points, adding: “We played really well today.
“Nine times out of ten you get what you deserve but nine times out of ten they don’t score that sort of worldie. They got a point but I don’t think they earned it.
“If we had got the second goal it would have been finished as a contest but I can’t complain about any of the performances our players put in out there today. Since the turn of the year, we’ve kept things simple but are now starting to work on stuff and it’s showing on the pitch.”
The feelgood atmosphere, generated by a crowd of 6,685 at Boundary Park was treated to a lively game, with Moors almost getting off to a perfect start – the woodwork denying Josh Kelly a second minute opener.
But it was the hosts who opened the scoring, with left-back Kitching driving forward in space before hitting an arrowed shot into the far corner from 25-yards for his second goal of the season.
The Moors were kept quiet by a resolute Oldham but had their stand-in goalkeeper Matt Hudson to thank when he made a fantastic save to stop a Callum Maycock shot finding the top corner.
After the break, the Latics were untroubled but wasteful. John Rooney, clearly not getting the memo on the clocks going forward, rolled back the years to turn in a vintage midfield performance and was unlucky not to finish a flowing move as his strike in the area crashed off of the post.
An uncharacteristically poor Solihull didn’t trouble Hudson in the Oldham goal until deep into stoppage time when Chesterfield loanee Tom Whelan’s cross was headed down to Stevens and the striker, signed from Banbury United this month, hit a looping effort into the top corner.
John Rooney (Oldham) 6,685