Oldham Athletic 2-0 Halifax Town
Boundary Park, National League

Oldham Athletic tightened their grip on fourth place in the National League with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Halifax Town in front of 7,256 supporters.

Manager Micky Mellon made three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Rochdale seven days earlier. Kian Harratt and January signing James Norwood formed a new strike partnership, while Mike Fondop and Billy Waters dropped to the bench. At the back, Shaun Hobson replaced the injured Reagan Ogle.

A cagey opening quarter produced only one moment of quality. In the second minute, captain Tom Conlon threaded a pass between the Halifax centre-backs to release Harratt, but the striker’s low drive was gathered by Sam Johnson.

The contest sprang to life on 28 minutes. Left wing-back Mark Kitching surged forward and delivered a teasing cross that was only half-cleared. Jordan Rossiter nodded the loose ball back into the six-yard box, where Harratt spun and lashed a left-foot shot beyond Johnson for his first goal since arriving on loan.

Johnson’s afternoon ended moments later when he limped off with a thigh strain, 19-year-old deputy Nathaniel Ford taking his place.

Halifax emerged with greater intent after the interval, yet Oldham’s back line, marshalled by Hobson and veteran centre-half Liam Hogan, restricted the visitors to speculative efforts. Ford was finally extended on 67 minutes, plunging to his left to claw away Norwood’s curling effort.

Mellon introduced fresh legs on 70 minutes, Fondop replacing the tiring Harratt and Gardner taking over from Conlon. The substitutions proved decisive deep into stoppage time. Tom Pett’s inswinging corner from the right found Fondop unmarked eight yards out, and the Cameroonian powered a downward header past Ford to seal the points.

The striker’s 15th league goal of the campaign sparked celebratory scenes as the final whistle confirmed a result that lifts Oldham four points clear of fifth-placed Halifax with only seven fixtures remaining.

“It’s a massive win,” Mellon said. “We knew it would be a battle on a difficult pitch, but the players showed the character and game-management you need at this stage. We defended our box superbly and took the two chances that came our way.”

Oldham return to action next Saturday when they visit Southend United in a match selected for live television coverage.

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