OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0, SOUTHEND UNITED 0
This was to be Harry Kewell’s last hurrah as Oldham Athletic’s disappointing home goalless draw against relegation threatened Southend United was followed by his dismissal.
Kewell was ‘relieved of his duties’ the following day after little more than seven months in charge while on Monday Keith Curle was appointed as his successor.
And Curle, remarkably, became the eighth head coach/manager to work with Abdallah Lemsagam in little more than three years since he bought the club.
Latics were left frustrated as their miserable home form continued with a return of 14 points from a possible 51 from 17 league matches.
Kewell made two enforced changes for the visit of the Shrimpers with Marcel Hilssner making a return and Dylan Fage slotting in the backline to replace the injured Harry Clarke and the suspended Kyle Jameson.
Latics had the first opportunity of the game when Fage raced down the right and crossed for Bobby Grant who headed wide.
Southend should have been ahead in the 10th minute when Simeon Akinola headed wide from Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s cross.
In the 35th minute, Mark Molesley’s side was denied by a combination of Ian Lawlor and the crossbar from taking the lead.
A free-kick from the left found Emile Acquah inside the box and he flicked from point-blank range was kept out by Latics’ goalkeeper before the ball eventually fell to Hackett-Fairchild whose shot cannoned off the crossbar.
Shortly after the interval, the visitors were once again denied the crossbar as Hackett-Fairchild’s cross was met by Acquah whose close-range header smashed the crossbar before being cleared.
Moments later the lively Acquah found himself clean through on goal and his chip beat Lawlor but went the wrong side of the post which was a massive let off.
Kewell’s side, second best for most of the match, had two golden opportunities at the end to secure all three points.
The first arrived was when Jason Demetriou tripped substitute Conor McAleny and from the resulting free-kick Grant, inside the six-yard box, but he headed straight at James Montgomery.
In added time, captain Nicky Adams’ cross was headed over by Carl Piergianni as the sides shared the points.
Oldham Athletic: Lawlor, Adams, Diarra, Piergianni, Fage, McCalmont, Hilssner, Keillor-Dunn, Bahamboula (Ntambwe 85), Tasdemir (McAleny 62), Grant. Subs (not used): Bilboe , Jombati, Badan, Whelan, Vaughan.