OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3, MACCLESFIELD TOWN 1
Relegated Oldham Athletic registered their first win of the season in Sky Bet League Two at the third attempt.
After picking up only one point from their first two fixtures, Latics are finally up and running after a hard-earned home victory against Macclesfield Town who have lost all three league games following their promotion from National League.
Goals from Sam Surridge, Johan Branger-Engone and Ishmael Miller secured three valuable league points to lift spirits at Boundary Park.
It wasn’t until injury time, however, that Latics sealed victory through Miller as earlier Fiacre Kelleher had almost made it 2-2 such are the small margins.
Manager Frank Bunn made three changes following the midweek defeat to Derby County in the Carabao Cup.
Peter Clarke, Andy Taylor and Sam Surridge all returned after injury as Sam Graham, Tom Hamer and Christian Benteke stood down.
And with the vastly experienced Clarke, making his 700th career appearance, and Taylor restored to the back line, it was far more solid.
Surridge, on a season-long loan from Bournemouth, replaced Benteke up front.
Latics wasted a clear-cut chance early on when Clarke sent a free header over the crossbar from six yards.
But the breakthrough came in the 16th minute as Gevaro Nepomuceno found Surridge, who cleverly created space inside the box and finished well from 12 yards.
At the other end, Harry Smith’s long-range effort flew just off target for the Silkmen.
Latics’ second goal in the 53rd minute involved a stroke of good fortune as Johan Branger-Engone let fly from 25 yards and his shot took a big deflection to leave goalkeeper Rhys Taylor wrong-footed.
Macclesfield responded on the hour mark, with Michael Rose curling a free-kick into the bottom corner from just outside the box.
Kelleher almost levelled, but the Latics sealed it in stoppage time when Ishmael Miller chased down George Edmundson’s long clearance and scored a fine individual goal.
Oldham (4-4-2): Iverson; Hunt, Clarke, Edmundson, Hunt; Branger-Engone, Coke, Gardner, Nepomuceno (Graham 67); Surridge (Miller 83), O’Grady. Subs (not used): de la Paz, baxter, Missilou, Lang, Hamer.
Attendance: 4,330.