We preview the weekend's game against Oldham
After the buzz of the FA Cup draw and re-signing Zoko, Boro now must get down to business in the league where they travel to Boundary Park for a big League One clash…
Oldham Athletic FC
Sky Bet League One
Boundary Park, Furtherwood Road, Oldham, Lancashire OL1 2PA
Kick-off: 3pm
Weather forecast: 4°c, sunny spells
Referee: Steven Rushton
Last time we met:
The 2013/2014 season got off to a wild start at the Lamex, with Oldham coming out on top 4-3. The first half went well for Boro; Darius Charles scored from close range to make it 1-0 heading into the break but in the second half Oldham took control of the game. The Latics scored three times to go ahead 3-1 with 20 minutes to go but Tansey and Morais fought back to make it 3-3 going into the final minutes. Boro were denied a point though with minutes to go as Jose Baxter completed his double by scoring from the spot.
Team news:
Stevenage have almost a full bill of health after long term absentee Darius Charles made his return to the first team last weekend. Although the gaffer admitted there have been 'some knocks' throughout the training week, 22 players were out on the pitch Thursday afternoon.
The Oldham squad is also looking strong; since the start of the year Oldham have brought in three new players - David Worrall, Gary Harkins and Adam Lockwood on loan. Another boost for the club is that veteran striker Charlie McDonald is back training with the team.
View from the dressing room:
Betting:
Boro are underdogs heading into the game (the way we like it) at 7/2. A £10 bet on Boro will return £45 with Sky Bet, the official sponsors of the Football League.
For Stevenage to return the favour and triumph with a 4-3 win, the odds are a massive 200/1!
A more sensible but less profitable bet on a 1-0 Boro win will get you a still rather tasty 9/1.
If you followed our advice last week and backed Zoko to score first you would have left the Keepmoat happy and rich! For him to repeat the feat the odds are 15/2.
Sign up to Sky Bet through any of the attached links to help the club earn extra revenue along with bag yourself a free £5 bet each week.
Familiar faces:
Two current Boro players have played for Oldham, both Filipe Morais and Oumare Tounkara have wore the Latics jersey in the past. Tounkara had a short spell at the club on loan from Sunderland and Morais was a key part of the Oldham team between 2010 and 2012, making 68 appearances over two seasons and scoring 8 goals.
Recent form:
Oldham have struggled to maintain any consistency this season and find themselves just out of the relegation zone, only through superior goal difference. In the league the Latics are without a win since the end of the November so they'll be eager to post a positive result this weekend and move away from Boro in the table. Oldham have particularly struggled at home, picking up only 12 points from 10 games. The Latics have lost their last two games at home, a 2-0 loss to Colchester and a 2-1 loss to Shrewsbury. November was the Latics best month of the season as they went unbeaten with 2 draws and 4 losses, although 3 of these games were in cup competitions.
Key man:
Goal poacher, Adam Rooney has got off to a solid start at Oldham after signing earlier in the summer. The striker has led the line for the club since joining and has scored 7 goals so far this season. After making his name at Inverness, he signed for Birmingham City in 2011 but found his playing time limited so was loaned out to Swindon last season. Due to his good performances, Swindon tried to sign him on a permanent contract but due to complications in the negotiation process, the deal fell through and he joined Oldham.