Promotion chasing Salford City visit Oldham Athletic as Ammies boss Richie Wellens returns to his former club

Salford manager Richie Wellens will be returning to his previous club Oldham this weekend, as he takes his Salford side to Boundary Park aiming to bolster their promotion charge as they look to get back to winning ways on the road.

He featured for Latics as a player back in 2005 in a two-year spell, while also making a return to the club as a manager in 2017. Throughout his playing career he made 94 appearances for Oldham, however during his managerial stint he was less successful only lasting nine months before being sacked as he failed to save Latics from League One relegation during the 17/18 season.

Wellens takes a Salford side across town looking to make it four games unbeaten; while Oldham will be looking to record back-to-back home wins for the first time since this time last year.

Registering just three home wins out of a possible 13 all season, this is definitely something Harry Kewell will be looking to rectify as Salford visit Boundary Park in an eagerly anticipated local derby.

Despite being down in 15th position, Oldham are the second highest scorers in the division. However it is their defensive record that has let them down this season as they have conceded the most in the league, a staggering 45 goals already.

The two sides have previously only met on three occasions, with Oldham still yet to register a win against The Ammies. Earlier this season back in October 2020 it was Salford who were victorious, beating Kewell’s Oldham 2-0 thanks to goals from James Wilson and Ashley Hunter, in a game that was dominated by the hosts.

Salford will be looking for a repeat of this fixture last season, as The Ammies romped to victory winning 4-1 at Boundary Park, with both Brandon Thomas-Asante and Jake Jervis getting a brace each.

(Photo credit: Salfordcityfc.co.uk)

Team news –

Latics goalkeeper Ian Lawlor is back fit again after missing the previous two games due to a back injured he sustained during the warm-up against Newport. While Zak Dearnley is still out in the short term but should be available next week.

Salford could be without James Wilson who has picked up a small knock, however Richie Towell will be looking to start after making a positive impact from the bench against Harrogate last Friday. Darron Gibson still remains side-lined after picking up a serious injury back in October.

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