Oldham Athletic

Oldham sign Porter from Bury
Striker Chris Porter, 21, has joined Oldham on a two-year contract after rejecting a new deal at Bury. However, as he is under 24, the Shakers are entitled to a fee - which may be decided by a transfer tribunal. "When I found I might have the chance of moving to Boundary Park, I kept my fingers crossed - it has worked out for the best," he told Oldham's website. Porter has scored 18 goals in 71 League appearances for Bury - including nine from 32 outings last season.

Keeper Murphy on trial at Oldham
West Bromwich Albion keeper Joe Murphy has joined Oldham Athletic on trial. Murphy, 23, will train with the Latics and look to earn a deal at Boundary Park after becoming surplus to requirements at the Hawthorns. Murphy spent time on loan at Walsall last season and his chances at West Brom will be more limited with the imminent arrival of Chris Kirkland. Meanwhile, Oldham midfielder David Eyres, 41, has signed a new 12-month deal to extend his Latics career.

Holden makes Peterborough switch
Peterborough United have signed Oldham Athletic defender Dean Holden on a two-year contract. Holden, 24, joined the Latics on loan in October 2001 from Bolton and made a permanent move seven months later but turned down the offer of a new deal. Posh manager Mark Wright told the club website: "We have been chasing Dean for some time and it's a major coup for us. "He is highly-rated. Dean is captain material, he's a winner and hopefully that'll be infectious." Holden told Posh's website: "I wanted a new challenge and I have no problems stepping down to League Two level because I believe it will be a short stay."

Oldham sign Blades winger Liddell
Oldham Athletic have signed winger Andy Liddell, following his release by Sheffield United. The former Wigan man becomes the ninth new player to join the Latics under Ronnie Moore this summer after having his contract terminated by the Blades. Liddell, 32, joined Sheffield United last summer and started 32 games for Neil Warnock's side, scoring six times. Before that, the ex-Scotland Under-21 international scored over 100 league goals in spells at Wigan and Barnsley.

Striker Jack seeks Wrexham deal
Ex-Oldham striker Rodney Jack has joined up with Wrexham for some pre-season training at the Racecourse. The 32-year-old is an international for the Caribbean island of St Vincent. Jack moved from Torquay United to Crewe Alexandra for £650,000 in 1998, and was with Rushden and Diamonds before joining the Latics last summer. His time at Boundary Park was blighted by injury and he made just 10 league appearances, the last as a reserve against Brentford in October. His contract was due to expire in the summer, but Oldham settled the remainder of it in April. Jack could replace Chris Llewellyn in the Wrexham squad, as the 25-year-old Welsh international front man is expected to join Hartlepool this week. Crewe are thought likely to secure the services of in-demand Wrexham striker Juan Ugarte.

Oldham recruit defender Swailes
Defender Chris Swailes has become Oldham's 10th new signing of the summer, after agreeing a settlement on his contract with Rotherham. The 34-year-old has signed a two-year contract, linking up again with former Millers manager Ronnie Moore. He told Oldham's website."Ronnie has taken Rotherham out of this division before, so he knows what's required." Swailes will train with coach Tony Philliskirk while the other players are on their pre-season trip to Ibiza. He made 184 appearances in four years with the Millers after spells with Doncaster, Ipswich and Bury. Rotherham are now on the lookout for a new defender, following the departures of Swailes and Huddersfield-bound Martin McIntosh.

Moore to decide on trialist pair
Oldham Athletic manager Ronnie Moore is poised to make a decision on the future of trialists Joe Murphy and Andy Todd early next week. West Brom goalkeeper Murphy, 23, is surplus to requirements at Albion, but aggravated a calf strain in Oldham's tour match against Wycombe in Ibiza. However, Hucknall Town striker Todd scored a hat-trick against local side San Jose in their first tour game. That treble earned him a trophy as the competition's top scorer.

Oldham complete Beckett signing
Striker Luke Beckett has set his sights on spearheading Oldham to promotion after completing his season-long loan to the club from Sheffield United. Beckett, 28, helped the club beat the drop with six goals in nine games in a loan spell at Oldham last season. "It has taken a long time but I am glad everything is finally sorted out," said Beckett, who said he did not figure in Blades boss Neil Warnock's plans. "This time I hope we'll be challenging at the other end of the table." Oldham failed in a £150,000 bid for Beckett but beat off competition from Blackpool and Southend to land the forward. Beckett added: "Ronnie Moore knows what it takes to get out of this league and I see no reason why we can't be in a promotion battle. "I knew I had no future at Sheffield United when I was transfer listed just after the season ended. "The gaffer told me again that I didn't figure in his plans when I went back for pre-season training."

Carlisle 1-0 Oldham
Carlisle won the Isle of Man tournament with a narrow victory over Oldham, thanks to a single Adam Murray goal. Murray was on target with a 25-yard free-kick in the 27th minute, and was named as man of the match while Derek Holmes was player of the tournament. However, for Oldham the game was marred in the second half when striker Luke Beckett was carried off with suspected medial knee ligament damage. In the third place play-off, Port Vale beat the Isle of Man side 4-0.

Moore vents fury at Oldham squad
Oldham boss Ronnie Moore criticised his side's lack of fighting qualities after they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Tranmere on Friday. "Disappointment is an understatement," he said. "It was still 1-0 at half time with nothing really between the sides. "Then the second half came and we never turned up. I'm disappointed with the way we defended. "We made Tranmere look like Real Madrid at times. Once the second goal went in too many white flags went up."

Leeds 2-0 Oldham
Michael Ricketts scored his first goal for 11 months as Leeds eased into the second round of the Carling Cup. Ricketts muscled his way behind the Oldham defence before firing across Chris Day and into the far corner. Soon after it was 2-0 when David Healy produced a delightful backheel and Frazer Richardson netted from 12 yards. Andy Liddell's free-kick hit the side-netting and defender Guy Branston saw a header cleared off the line before Ricketts opened the scoring. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leeds: Sullivan, Rui Marques, Gregan, Kilgallon, Crainey, Richardson, Einarsson, Douglas, Pugh, Ricketts, Healy (Blake 81). Subs Not Used: Wright, Bennett, Moore, Harding. Goals: Ricketts 20, Richardson 24. Oldham: Day, Scott, Branston, Owen, Forbes, Wellens, Hughes (Bonner 73), Tierney, Facey, Warne (Edwards 73), Liddell. Subs Not Used: Stam, Eyres, Smith. Att: 14,970 Ref: K Wright (Cambridgeshire).

Moore happy with Latics progress
Oldham manager Ronnie Moore has been in charge of the League One club for exactly six months and is happy with the progress the club are making. Moore guided the Latics away from the relegation zone last season and Oldham currently sit eighth in the table, just three points off top spot. "We are much better than we were," Moore said. "We brought 12 players in over the summer. "And we've had a little bit of luck in that everybody seems to have gelled." Moore was appointed Latics boss on 1 March - ending a brief period out of football following his departure from Rotherham at the end of January. Oldham met Rotherham - the club Moore managed for eight years - on Monday, succumbing to a 1-0 home defeat. Moore admits it was hard coming up against a club with whom he was inextricably linked for so long. "It was strange and disappointing and I'm glad it is over to be honest," said Moore. "It was the first fixture I looked for but it was difficult playing against my old club - it was difficult to concentrate. "I said to the players that they would have been off until Friday if we had won." But Moore took a lot more from the game against the Millers than the opportunity to meet a few old friends. "I gave the players a bit of a rollocking over the way we played against Rotherham. "But when I looked at the video I thought we weren't that bad. We weren't brilliant but we certainly weren't as bad as I'd thought at the time. "I went through a few things with the players and the word consistency cropped up again and again - I think that will be the big clue as to who goes up and who stays down. "I think there are 15 or 16 sides whose managers will be thinking exactly the same as I am - that this division is wide open and could go down to the wire." And Moore believes that the players he has signed over the summer have the ability to ensure Oldham are challenging at the right end of the table. "There is more to come because there are players missing," he said. "Luke Beckett is missing, as is Chris Swailes. We haven't seen the best of Paul Edwards yet, who has picked up injury after injury, but is now match fit and can go past people for fun as a left winger. "Ritchie Wellens is certainly as good as anybody on the ball in this division and Terrell Forbes has a lot of pace, then there is Andy Liddell - who has that cuteness and awareness from playing at Championship level." Oldham have been plying their football in the third tier of English football since 1997. If Moore gets his way that could all be about to change.

Warne may be fined by Latics boss
Oldham boss Ronnie Moore will review the video of their 3-0 defeat by Huddersfield, before deciding whether to fine striker Paul Warne. Warne saw red after flattening Andy Holdsworth, and is facing a three-match ban for violent conduct. "I don't know whether he caught him enough to knock him out," Moore told his club's website. "But when the lad did get up, he was feeling his knee - and not his head. That astounded me."

Gillingham 0-1 Oldham
Chris Killen's early goal gave Oldham their first win in five games. Killen reacted quickest to head in Andy Liddell's free-kick past Gillingham keeper Jason Brown after six minutes. And the Latics could easily have added to that lead before the break as Brown made good saves from Killen, Liddell and Richie Wellens. Matt Jarvis twice went close for the visitors who were unlucky not to salvage a point with both Ian Cox and Steven Hislop hitting the woodwork. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gillingham: Brown, Sancho (Hislop 81), Hope, Cox, Rose, Hessenthaler (Shields 72), Flynn, Crofts, Jarvis, Byfield, Harris (Jackman 72). Subs Not Used: Crichton, Pouton. Booked: Sancho. Oldham: Day, Forbes, Owen, Scott, Stam (Tierney 78), Wellens, Eyres, Bonner, Killen, Porter (Beckett 78), Liddell. Subs Not Used: Butcher, Edwards, Smith. Goals: Killen 6. Att: 6,259. Ref: M Russell (Hertfordshire).

Bonner has broken arm confirmed
Oldham midfielder Mark Bonner will undergo tests to determine the nature and extent of his broken arm. Bonner, 31, fell heavily after colliding heavily with team-mate Rob Scott in the draw at Port Vale. The midfielder was taken to hospital where X-rays revealed the break which is likely to sideline him for up to eight weeks. More tests will determine whether the former Cardiff player's arm needs to be pinned and plated.

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