Injury time equaliser denies Latics vital points
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date published: 17 March 2014
Crewe 1, Oldham 1
ATHLETIC’S only remaining ambition this season is to cling to Sky Bet League One status.
So this result must be regarded as a marginal failure.
Lee Johnson’s men were full value for three points at Gresty Road and Gary Harkins’ clinical strike should have been enough.
But a team with the joint-second-worst clean sheet record in the division is not one to bank on when it comes to shutting out the opposition – no matter how poor they happen to be, or how superior Athletic clearly are.
Crewe were devoid of confidence and utterly abject. Yet thanks to the added-time header off a corner from Harry Davis, they smuggled a point.
Johnson came out afterwards in praise of his players – as well he might. For almost 93 minutes they had done what was asked of them. But the manager was no doubt biting at least part of his tongue. In defence, Athletic are a soft touch - as it proved when Harry Davis headed home a late corner.
Athletic’s players should be absolutely furious at conceding such a goal. Sadly, there is too little evidence on the pitch that this current side has much fortitude or resilience about it.
Unlike too many of his team-mates, Harkins is exempt from criticism. Without the loaned St Mirren man, goodness only knows where the team would be finding inspiration.
The man who goes down as Johnson’s most effective signing struck a fine solo goal to send Athletic in front in a highly-tense, tedious contest between two teams struggling badly for confidence.
At one stage, Cameron Park smacked his team-mate George Evans in the face with an attempted cross-field pass, the ball rebounding into touch. That was one of the first-half highlights.
Athletic, though, will rue the fact they really should have won this one to bolster their fight against relegation. Harkins’ low shot inside the near post after 52 minutes gave the visitors a lead they could have embellished at least twice.
That this game wasn’t closed out comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched this team consistently. The personnel may change but the same old frailties remain.
Athletic paid for their profligacy by conceding from a corner in the third minute of added time, as Davis nodded home George Evans’ far-post delivery with Paul Rachubka left stranded after half coming to try to collect the ball. Sides hardened to winning simply do not allow this to happen.
Every game is equally important, Johnson stresses, and he is absolutely right. But some fixtures are more equal than others.
This was a great chance to create a cushion between Athletic and Crewe, who remain two points adrift with both sides having nine games left. But Athletic have matches against promotion challengers Brentford and Leyton Orient to come after the Crawley game on Saturday. That one is clearly another fixture Athletic must win.
After all the hard graft this time, and no matter how brave the face after the event, this was two points thrown away – another case of what might have been, in a season filled with what-ifs.
