The 2023–24 season was the 129th in Oldham Athletic's history, and the club's second season since dropping out of the Football League. The club competed in the National League, the FA Cup and the FA Trophy.
Season summary Pre-season
Immediately following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, Oldham announced that 18 of the players contracted for the previous season remained in contract but that nine players would be released and four players who had ended the 2022–23 season on loan would return to their parent clubs. The club also confirmed that negotiations were ongoing to extend the contracts of Devarn Green, Mathew Hudson, Junior Luamba and Josef Yarney.
A new hybrid pitch was laid at Boundary Park, with work commencing on 8 May 2023 and extending over the summer period, meaning that all but the final pre-season friendly would be played away from Boundary Park.
On 8 June 2023, Paul Murray returned to the club as Academy Manager, resuming a job he had left in 2021.
End of the Unsworth era
The season began with two weeks of contrasting fortunes: a 4–0 defeat away at Southend United being followed by a comprehensive 5–1 win at home to Aldershot Town.
Following this was a run of seven games without a win in which Oldham scored only four goals. The club's board initially stood behind manager David Unsworth, with chairman Frank Rothwell addressing a group of travelling supporters before a 2–2 draw at Gateshead to demonstrate his support for Unsworth. However, discontent amongst the club's supporters continued to grow following a 0–0 draw at home to Dorking Wanderers and Unsworth was dismissed following a 3–0 defeat away at Bromley.
Interim management
Steve Thompson, the club's Head of Recruitment, was appointed as manager on an interim basis following Unsworth's departure, with the club's board confirming that a number of applications for the role of first team manager had been received and that a recruitment process would be followed before an appointment was made.
In the meantime, Thompson appointed Neil Redfearn as his assistant manager, Redfearn returning to Boundary Park where, 32 years earlier, he had scored the most famous goal in the club's history, securing the Second Division title with a last minute penalty kick.
Thompson and Redfearn left the club on 12 October 2023 two days before an FA Cup tie with Altrincham with academy manager Paul Murray taking charge of that match. Then, they won the match 1–0 with Harrison McGahey scoring.
Micky Mellon
Micky Mellon was announced on 13 October 2023 as the club's new first team manager. Mellon sat in the stands for the following day's FA Cup match against Altrincham and took charge of his first match against the team's bitter rivals Rochdale the following week, a match which Oldham would go on to win 4–3.
Mellon led Oldham on a strong run, taking them from 12th in the table into play-off positions for most of January and February. However, a run of one win in fourteen games at the end of the season resulted in a disappointing 10th-place finish and to Mellon lamenting that his squad needed "major surgery" for it to challenge for promotion in the following season.
Players Squad at the end of the season
No Pos Nat Name Age Debut App Start Sub Notes 1 GK 27 48 48 0 0 2 0 2 DF 19 6 6 0 0 1 0 Loan from Sheffield Utd 3 DF 28 80 79 1 2 14 0 4 DF 35 82 79 3 2 20 1 Captain 5 DF 25 38 35 3 0 4 0 6 MF 27 35 30 5 2 6 1 7 FW 26 17 5 12 1 0 0 Loan at Ayr Utd 8 MF 25 29 25 4 0 4 0 9 FW 30 75 39 36 25 9 4 10 FW 27 37 35 2 8 8 0 Loan at Cheltenham Town 11 MF 26 8 6 2 0 0 0 13 GK 25 51 51 0 0 1 0 14 DF 26 97 91 6 9 18 0 15 FW 27 43 34 9 6 6 0 16 DF 30 34 33 1 0 3 0 17 DF 28 65 61 4 2 10 0 18 MF 29 46 34 12 9 6 0 Loan at Chester 19 MF 34 123 107 16 8 29 1 20 FW 30 84 60 24 12 6 0 21 DF 21 58 57 1 3 8 1 22 MF 31 18 14 4 5 4 0 Loan at Hartlepool Utd 24 FW 36 14 11 3 4 4 0 25 FW 28 34 19 15 9 3 0 26 MF 21 11 8 3 0 0 0 27 DF 20 40 25 15 1 2 0 Loan at Ashton Utd 28 FW 21 4 2 2 0 0 0 Loan from Blackburn 29 FW 24 14 7 7 0 1 0 Loan from Barnsley 30 FW 33 44 37 7 18 11 0 31 MF 19 1 0 1 0 0 0 32 MF 28 18 15 3 0 3 0 99 GK 23 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 Loan at Blyth Spartans – DF 24 1 0 1 0 0 0 Loan at Darlington
Left the club during the season
No Pos Nat Name Age Debut Apps Starts Subs Notes – MF 33 36 28 8 2 6 0 Released 31 August 23 DF 32 10 10 0 0 1 0 24 FW 20 4 4 0 3 1 0
Pre-season fixtures On 17 May 2023 Oldham Athletic announced six pre-season friendlies to be played before the start of the National League season. Pitch renovation work at Boundary Park meant that the first five fixtures would all be played away from home, with only the sixth and final game able to be played at Boundary Park.
Competitions Oldham Athletic will play in the National League in the 2023–24 season. It will join the FA Cup at the Fourth Qualifying Round and the FA Trophy at the Third Round.
National League
League table
Results summary
Results by matchday
Matches Oldham's fixtures were announced on 5 July 2023.
FA Cup
Oldham will join the 2023-24 FA Cup at the Fourth Qualifying Round. Fixtures will take place on the weekend of 14 October 2023, with the draw being made following conclusion of the Third Qualifying Round on the weekend of 30 September 2023.
FA Trophy
Oldham will join the 2023-24 FA Trophy at the Third Round. Fixtures will take place on the weekend of 9 December 2023, with the draw being made following conclusion of the Second Round on the weekend of 18 November 2023
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
Disciplinary record No.Pos.Nat.PlayerNational LeagueFA CupFA TrophyTotal 9FW61100000061121DF4010000004014DF121000000012106MF3100000003103DF1100100000120030FW1100000000110014MF70020000090015MF50000000050019MF50000000050024FW50000000050010FW40000000040022MF4000000004008MF4000000004005DF40000000040017DF40000000040016DF30000000030032DF30000000030018MF10000000010025FW10000000010023DF10000000010024FW1000000001001GK10000000010019MF1000000001002DF10000000010013GK10000000010029FW100000000100Total1043230000010732
Transfers Transfers in Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. Pre-season MF Josh Lundstram Altrincham Undisclosed fee Pre-season FW Kurt Willoughby Chester Free transfer Pre-season MF Dan Ward Gateshead Free transfer Pre-season DF Shaun Hobson Southend United Free transfer Pre-season DF Charlie Raglan Cheltenham Town Free transfer Pre-season MF Brennan Dickenson – Free transfer Pre-season FW James Norwood Barnsley Undisclosed fee 11 August 2023 DF Kieron Freeman – Free transfer 3 November 2023 GK Dan Langley – Free transfer 9 January 2024 MF Tom Conlon Port Vale Undisclosed 19 January 2024 MF Oli Hammond Nottingham Forest Undisclosed 31 January 2024 FW Joe Garner Carlisle United Undisclosed
Transfers out Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. Pre-season GK Jayson Leutwiler Port Vale Free transfer Pre-season MF Luke Burgess – Released 31 August 2023 MF John Rooney – Released 2 January 2024 DF Kieron Freeman – End of contract
Loans in Date from Position Nationality Name From Date until Ref. 15 December 2023 FW Josh Stones Wigan Athletic F.C. 2 January 2024 2 January 2024 FW Ethan Walker Blackburn Rovers F.C. End of season 15 January 2024 DF Sai Sachdev Sheffield United F.C. End of season 22 January 2024 FW Andrew Dallas Barnsley F.C. End of season
Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date until Ref. 7 July 2023 DF Jordan Windass Darlington End of season 11 July 2023 MF Kofi Moore Workington 7 January 2024 15 July 2023 FW Jake Forshaw Colne September 2023 19 July 2023 DF Frazer Cookson Northwich Victoria January 2024 15 August 2023 DF Benny Couto TNS September 2023 24 August 2023 DF Llyton Chapman Northwich Victoria October 2023 2 September 2023 MF Ollie Havens New Mills November 2023 5 September 2023 FW Jake Forshaw Farsley Celtic November 2023 23 September 2023 DF Benny Couto Ashton United End of season 6 October 2023 DF Llyton Chapman Chadderton TBC 7 November 2023 MF Ben Tollitt Kidderminster Harriers January 2024 17 November 2023 FW Jake Forshaw Guiseley 21 December 2023 17 November 2023 MF Kofi Moore Guiseley 15 December 2023 12 December 2023 GK Dan Langley Blyth Spartans End of season 1 January 2024 MF Kofi Moore Guiseley End of season 11 January 2024 DF Oliver Kilner Bury End of season 1 February 2024 FW Joe Nuttall Cheltenham Town End of season 1 February 2024 FW Kurt Willoughby Ayr United End of season 2 February 2024 MF Brennan Dickenson Hartlepool United End of season 9 February 2024 MF Ben Tollitt Chester End of season
References