Oldham 1 Fleetwood 0

Oldham dominated posession in the first half, Fleetwood resorting too often to long, aimless balls which didn’t do anything to help strike pair Stephen Dobbie and Jamie Proctor.

The Latics, on the other hand, were lively with the ball at their feet - the trio of Dominic Poleon, Danny Philliskirk and Jonathan Forte causing all kinds of trouble for Town.

But for all their territorial advantage the Latics couldn’t really test Chris Maxwell, Town creating probably the two best openings of the first 45 minutes.

Proctor so very nearly took advantage of a rare moment of quality from the visitors, firing at former Blackpool man Paul Rachubka after some neat work from another Bloomfield Road graduate Stephen Crainey.

Then, with the half almost over Steven Schumacher launched a stinging blast from 18 yards, smartly pushed aside by the Oldham keeper.

The Latics broke quickly, Fleetwood scrambling to recover, Philliskirk tumbling right on the edge of the area after a challenge from Schumacher.

Forte converted from the spot to put Town in a position from which they never recovered.

Things could have been worse had Nathan Pond inadvertantly put past his own keeper early in the second half.

Town quite simply didn’t have the quality or imaginiation to break down the Latics, their performance, without international ace Conor McLaughlin, increasingly ragged.

Oldham tried to use the absence of McLaughlin to full advantage, piling pressure on stand-in Liam Hogan.

But Fleetwood just about held on, the performance very much below par, the defeat controversial but absolutely deserved.