Decent(ish) Scummer Lee Barnard was up front for Oldham.
The first half was somewhat lacking in quality, with Oldham looking every inch a bottom four side and Bournemouth too often content to play at the same level. When some football did break out the result was the only goal of the game. O’Kane drove forward, played in Grabban on the left, and he picked out Pitman with a low cross which the striker converted with ease from seven yards out in front of goal.
Oldham improved slightly after the break but lacked penetration, usually resorting to the aerial route which Seaborne, Cook and Allsop dealt with comfortably most of the time. Bournemouth had chances to put the game away, but Bouzanis saved from Pitman, Daniels and Grabban, and as the game wore on there was always the risk that we would pay for failing to make things secure. Sure enough Oldham eventually got their break when Grabban handled a goal-bound header from a corner. Panenka and Pirlo produced legendary chipped penalties under pressure, Jose Baxter’s attempt at the skill will also live long in the memory of Oldham fans if they go down – far better to belt the thing in the general direction of the goal and hope for the best when your team is looking down the barrel of relegation. Allsop dived to his right, but with so little pace on the ball he was able to recover, knock it down with his left hand and fall on the loose ball.
Allsop made one other save from a Baxter free-kick and gathered a few crosses, but Bournemouth were able to see the game out with few problems without ever looking likely to increase their lead, except for a Pitman chip which landed on the roof of the net. Grabban continues to misfire in front of goal, and signing Pitman is beginning to look like an act of genius. Daniels looked like he had never been away, which was probably the most important thing to come out of this game apart from the points.
You need a sense of humour when your team is in this much trouble, and fair play to the Oldham fans for their “We already know” retort to the inevitable “Oldham’s a s***hole” song.
Wes Fogden - for sheer effort.
AFCB: Allsop, Francis, Cook, Seabourne, Daniels, Fogden, Arter, O'Kane, Pugh, Grabban, Pitman
Subs: Jalal, Elphick, MacDonald, McQuoid, Tubbs, Hughes (for Grabban, 72 mins), Ritchie (for Daniels, 73 mins)
Richie Barker, Leyton