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Rangers blew their chance to top the table at Christmas with a lacklustre second half showing against managerless Oldham at freezing Boundary Park. Despite a first half of dominance Rangers couldn't capitalise and let a poor Latics side take three points that should have been ours by the break.
Despite the 4-1 win over Hartlepool last weekend Holloway made changes to the side, both voluntary and enforced. Day returned in goal and Matthew Rose made his first start of the season in place of Carlisle. Clarke was ill, as was Richard Edghill, so Rose teamed up with Forbes, Shittu and Padula. Martin Rowlands had a neck strain so McLeod replaced him alongside Ainsworth, Palmer and Bean. Gallen and Thorpe were in attack, as we simply had no other choices. The squad was so thin that Rangers took the option of having only four subs.
Rangers started brightly and found themselves in the ascendancy from the off. An early flurry of corners and freekicks delivered by Padula had the Oldham defence rocking and one point blank block on the line to deny Gallen was definitely more luck than judgement. Going the other way Oldham didn't seem to have much of a threat. Calvin Zola and Jermaine Johnson had plenty of pace but seemed bereft of a first touch of any quality and later in the game Rangers would be grateful for that.
The back four were looking comfortable at this stage although Forbes kept getting dragged into the middle and allowing David Eyres far too much space on the left wing. Time and again Rose was forced across to cover as Terrell turned in one of his poorer displays. At the other end Palmer almost grabbed his fourth of the season from a Padula corner. The ball was played deep to the far post and the skipper was on hand to meet it but could only find the outside of the upright. From yet another corner Kevin McLeod managed to work some space in the box but his fierce drive cleared keeper and bar alike.
Chris Day was called into action when the pace of Johnson carried him clear of the R's defence. He went one on one with Day and the big keeper was not found wanting as he powerfully repelled the striker's effort. Seemingly stung into a response Rangers took the lead almost immediately.
Gareth Ainsworth managed to work some space on the right and sped toward the by-line. He looked up to send a perfectly weighted cross into the path of Tony Thorpe who slid in at the far post and turned the ball back across Pogliacomi to give Rangers the lead. Oldham were still reeling when Gallen should have made it two in two minutes. Thorpe this time was creating the chance with a great ball into Gallen's path. For some reason Gallen chose guile over power and tried to lift the ball over the keeper only for Pogliacomi to throw out a leg and deflect the ball wide.
Marcus Bean was next to test Pogliacomi after his determined break from the middle of the park carried him through. His ball to Gallen ended up with it being blocked back to him but his effort was weak and the keeper didn't have to do much to throw himself on it. Undeterred Rangers continued to pour forward and hit the post for the second time in the half courtesy of Thorpe. Once more the chance came from a defensive error and Thorpe had beaten Pogliacomi easily only for the ball to shave the outside of the upright.
Maybe it was the fact that the first half had been a virtual stroll that accounted for what must be one of the most comprehensive turnarounds ever seen at a Rangers game. From being the only team in it we were transformed into a ragged unit devoid of ideas and passion and Oldham made us pay.
Johnson was starting to rattle Shittu and Rose with his pace had a couple of chances in the first ten minutes of the half that he probably should have done much better with. At the other end Thorpe managed an all to rare effort at goal following a neat turn and volley but it went well over. He had had to create the chance himself as the midfield were now crumbling and not getting hold of the ball at all.
The equaliser was inevitable and when it came there was a touch of the Charlie Coroli's about it. A ball rolled back into the box and Day came out to clear it upfield. As he did he managed to hammer it into Shittu's jacksie and it rolled out for a corner. Big Dab knew what was coming and should have got himself out of the way. From Eyres' corner fifties footballer Earnie Cooksie was on hand to grab a free header from six yards, giving Day no chance at all. What happened to the marking will no doubt have been high on Holloway's post match dissection of events.
Rangers were all over the show now and if Holloway had any defensive options on the bench he would surely have used them. Rose looked tired and he and Shittu didn't seem to be gelling at all. Maybe bringing Daly on at right back and moving Forbes inside one could have been done but it wasn't. Holloway chose to replace the struggling Palmer with Bircham in an effort to regain the midfield battleground but even that didn't come off.
There were barely five minutes to go when Oldham took a deserved lead in the game. Jermaine Johnson finally managed to get a shot on target and Day did well to parry it only to see the ball fall into the path of John Eyre. He strode onto the ball and lashed it past the helpless Day to send Boundary Park wild. Even Pogliacomi ran 100 yards to join in the celebrations such was the release felt by a team and support that had been forced into a siege mentality of late.
McLeod managed to get himself booked for an outrageous dive as he tried to win a freekick near the box. I think even Leon Knight might have been a bit sheepish after that one. As the final whistle was about to blow Rangers managed to find the net. Ainsworth slung over a cross and Gallen got up at the far post to head past Pogliacomi. In truth he was all over the back of his marker and it would have been very generous to allow it to go unpunished.
At the whistle Rangers trudged from the field knowing full well that an absolute rocket was waiting for them in the dressing room. They had gone from a position of total dominance to second position in the league in just forty-five minutes. Yes it was disappointing but I think that we should look at the bigger picture.
If we had been offered second at Christmas at the start of the season I think we would have taken it. If somebody had said that we would only have lost three league games at this point I think we would have taken it. If we can manage to lose only another three come May then I think we will have been promoted. I would much rather we lost to a team that is not a promotion rival than one that is. A win against a poor Notts County team on Boxing Day will consign this defeat to the history books and I think that Holloway made have been scathing enough to make this almost certain.
simon@qprnet.com
