OLDHAM ATHLETIC 1, MIDDLESBROUGH 3
Oldham Athletic discovered lighting can strike twice as they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Middlesbrough for the second successive season.
The Championship side, which scored three goals on each visit to SportsDirect.com Park, had too much class for its League One opponents.
Yet there were encouraging pointers for Latics’ season as they made produced a gutsy display in which they asked questions of Boro in the opening period.
Manager Darren Kelly made four changes from the side which played at Walsall in their opening league game four days earlier.
David Cornell took over in goal from Joel Coleman, Gavin Gunning from the ineligible Jonathan Burn, Danny Philliskirk replaced Mike Jones and Jonathan Forte was preferred to Rhys Turner.
There was a whirlwind start to the game as Lee Croft could have given Latics the lead in five seconds as he fired inches over the crossbar.
And Boro had clear-cut chances in the opening minutes from Emililo Nsue and Christian Stuani.
The visitors were awarded a seventh-minute penalty when Cornell brought down Diego Fabbrini, but redeemed himself with an excellent save to keep out Adam Clayton’s penalty.
Latics, eager to capitalise on their good fortune, had chances to take the lead as Philliskirk and Forte went close.
But it was Boro who took the lead midway through the opening period when nippy winger Albert Adomah played a perfect through ball for Yanic Wildschut to run through to score.
That goal seemed to sap the energy from Latics as Boro began to take control, though they might have been awarded a penalty themselves when Daniel Ayala looked to have handled in the box, but referee Carl Boyeson waved plat on.
Boro doubled their lead shortly before the break when Fabbrini’s cross was converted by Stuani from six yards.
Latics made a bright start to the second half as chances fell to Carl Winchester and Philliskirk, but neither was able to convert.
New-boy Jake Cassidy was also put clean through only to fail to control the ball as Boro had an escape.
Latics rued the missed chances as Boro showed how it ought to be done when they went 3-0 ahead just after the hour when Stuani scored his second of the game as he stole in at the far post to convert a James Husband cross..
Kelly brought on David Dunn and Dominic Poleon for the final half hour and Dunn immediately created a chance for Philliskirk whose effort was well saved.
The gulf in class was demonstrated when Boro brought on last season’s leading goalscorer Grant Leadbitter and new £7million signing Stewart Downing whose career transfer fees total £42m.
Latics, to their credit, kept battling as Philliskirk forced a good save from keeper Tomas Mejias while Dunn was denied with another top-drawer stop.
Dunn, a Premier League player for most of his career, oozed class as his volley was well saved by Spaniard Mejias.
The keeper was finally beaten in stoppage time when Philliskirk was rewarded for his considerable efforts in the game with a near-post header from a cross, a goal Latics deserved for their efforts.