Behind the Goal Line 2025:A Ball Boy’s Mum’s View of Life with Oldham Athletic

If Saturday was sunshine and sentiment, Tuesday was a completely different beast. Wet, windy, miserable — the kind of night that had already cancelled this fixture back in January. Didn’t look much better second time around. Watching from home tonight. But Boundary Park doesn’t do things by halves, and neither do this Oldham side. Four Minutes That’s all it took. Payne picks it up in our half, slides it through to Drummond, who breaks on the counter and runs half the pitch before finding the back of the net. His 6th of the season. Four minutes gone. 🎶 Drummond on fire! 🎶 🎶 Eieieio, up the football league we go 🎶 The rain could do one. Oldham Turn the Screw What followed was Oldham at their relentless best. High press, hungry for every ball, keeping Notts County pinned back and rattled. Hudson made a smart save when they did threaten on 11 minutes, but honestly it was all Oldham. Fondop was getting fouled every time he got near the ball — two bookings for Notts County just from foul...

I’ll be honest with you. This has been the hardest week of my life. My dad lost his battle with cancer, and I won’t pretend I was my usual self in my usual seat yesterday. But I had my blue goalkeeper top on. And we never lose when that’s on. Sunglasses on — needed them to hide a tear or two, but also genuinely needed them all game because Boundary Park was absolutely bathed in sunshine. Sometimes the universe gets the details right. And my boy was back with the ball crew. That helped too. Milestones Before a Ball Was Kicked What a week for the club, mind. Will Sutton’s 100th appearance for us — one of our own 🎶. Fondop reaching 50 goals, apparently the first player to do that since Andy Richie — GN9 doing what GN9 does. Matthew Hudson on 16 clean sheets, the most of any keeper in the EFL this season. And the news that Micky Mellon is staying until 2028. Chef’s kiss 😙 The reception when the lads came out was special. First chant of the day setting the tone perfectly: 🎶 Ten more year...

​ Away day to Tranmere, and despite them losing 10 of their last 11 with no manager in the dugout, there was still that nagging feeling this one could catch us out. You know the type of game. Getting There Came straight from Odie’s cup game going to penalties so only just made it for 2:35. Paid for parking at the ground in advance — only to find it full and still letting people in. And the stewards? Suddenly nowhere to be seen once they realised they’d overbooked it 😜. Classic. Packed Cowshed, Brilliant Atmosphere Got into the sellout Cowshed and it was already rocking. Fans in fine voice from the off. Took us about 20 minutes but when it came, it was worth the wait. A delightful delivery from Manny found Fondop, who scored a magnificent goal. An absolute thing of beauty. We were off the mark. Tranmere had a sniff just before half time but couldn’t get through our defence. And then — just before the whistle — Kavanagh slots it home. 2-0 at the break. Job’s a good’un. Second Half — Teq...