Substitute Harker's late winner seals hard-fought win for Shaymen against Oldham

Substitute Rob Harker scored a late winner as FC Halifax Town battled to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Oldham Athletic at The Shay.
The Shay Stadium, HalifaxThe Shay Stadium, Halifax
The Shay Stadium, Halifax

Mani Dierseruvwe had put Town ahead but Ben Tollitt levelled for The Latics in a game that got much more watchable the longer it went on.

It's a precious three points for Halifax, who bounced back from their defeat at Wrexham on Tuesday.

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Yes the quality was patchy and there is still a lot of improvement to be made, but again, the levels of commitment and spirit couldn't be questioned and this is another vital step in the recovery process.

There was more care and thought about Town's build-up than Oldham's early on, the visitors tending to knock it long aimlessly and hope for the best.

Halifax had greater attacking intent, good movement and played with a decent tempo in the Oldham half.

Jamie Cooke and Jordan Slew had been on the ball in decent areas down the sides of the Latics' defence, while Luke Summerfield was trying to dictate play and Tylor Golden was a willing runner down the right.

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The Latics were more cautious and rigid, their back three being anchored by ex-Halifax skipper Lois Maynard, while former Shayman Charlie Cooper lined up in midfield and ex-Town striker Mike Fondop was up-front.

Tollitt had a couple of free kicks go straight at Sam Johnson as Oldham came more into the game, getting stronger as the half went on.

A brilliant cross from the left by Zaine Francis-Angol was just missed by Fondop a few yards out.

Eventually, Oldham choked the life out of Town's early attacks, with Maynard excellent at the back, and the game went flat, the quality on show dropping to become almost non-existent.

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The contest was passing Kian Spence by, not allowing him to exert his influence, while Dierseruvwe wasn't short of effort but needed more support against Oldham's back three.

Oldham seemed to grow in confidence while Halifax's seemed to evaporate into the Saturday night mist.

Town's burgeoning threat had completely fizzled out as half-time approached, partly credit to Oldham's defensive organisation and resilience.

Halifax had to show some of that when Jesse Debrah cleared debutant Timmy Abraham's shot off the line after he had rounded Johnson.

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The Shaymen's first shot on target, from Cooke, took 48 minutes to arrive, and was comfortably saved.

The hosts might have had a penalty for a foul on the typically energetic Jack Senior as he burst into the box but the infringement was judged to be marginally outside the box.

There was more aggression from Town after the restart, who had wrestled back control of the game, but still couldn't break down the resolute Oldham back line.

That was until Dierseruvwe's fifth goal in as many games when he converted Summerfield's terrific free-kick into the box.

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Tollitt had flashed a shot wide across goal before Dierseruvwe's goal, and just after it, the visitors saw another effort from range whistle just over, as there continued to be little between the teams, despite Town having gone up a notch since the break.

Oldham responded well to falling behind, attacking the massed ranks of visiting fans in the North Stand, with all four sides of the Shay in use for the first time since the play-off final win over Chorley in 2017.

Halifax felt they were battling against referee Andrew Miller as well as The Latics, with a melee breaking out after The Shaymen felt a series of decisions had not gone their way.

Chris Millington was then sent-off by Miller shortly before Tollitt got the goal his performance had deserved when he was found by a lovely back-heel to the left of the box and he finished well across goal from an angle.

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Gone was the first-half boredom, this was now gripping stuff.

Town's lead had never looked secure for the 14 minutes it existed, and now their parity was under threat as Oldham seized the momentum in-front of their raucous supporters.

But Harker produced an excellent first time finish from a right-wing cross to edge The Shaymen back in-front.

Johnson was forced into a big save in added time by Tollitt, but Town saw it out.

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Halifax: Johnson, Golden, Debrah (Clarke 65), Arthur, Senior, Hunter, Summerfield, Spence, Cooke (Capello 61), Slew (Harker 81), Dierseruvwe. Subs not used: Alli, Gilmour.

Scorers: Debrah (63), Harker (85)

Shots on target: 4

Shots off target: 2

Corners: 2

Oldham: Norman, Clarke, Okagbue (Burgess 90), Maynard, Sheron, Francis-Angol, Cooper, Threlkeld (Rooney 69), Tollitt, Fondop-Talom (Carty 69), Abraham. Subs not used: Leutwiller, Couto.

Scorer: Tollitt (77)

Shots on target: 6

Shots off target: 4

Corners: 4

Attendance: 4,202

Referee: Andrew Miller

Town man of the match: Jack Senior, played with his usual levels of commitment and determination. Is doing a fine job of stand-in captain, playing with pride and passion.

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