LATICS debutant Zak Dearnley said he was ‘chomping at the bit’ before his maiden goal in Oldham’s 3-0 win at Crawley on Saturday.
With news circulating of Paul Scholes’ confirmation as new Latics boss, caretaker manager Pete Wild saw his side end a run of three defeats with a superb second-half performance.
The first strike came from a sizzling free kick by Johan Branger, followed by loanee Dearnley’s strike and a stoppage-time effort by Gevaro Nepomuceno.
“I was absolutely chomping at the bit to get my debut after the game was called off against Morecambe,” commented 19-year-old striker Dearnley, who joined on loan from Manchester United in January.
“I couldn’t wait to get started. I’ve had a really good week with the lads, learnt how they played, and seen how I can fit into that squad.
“There’s a big difference in the type of football I’m used to and this, I’m coming and learning off other players – Jose Baxter, Chris O’Grady’s another one.
“I’m learning from great players with great talents, but I’ve got my own skills I can show them as well. We learn from each other and it’s really great to do that.”
The 3-0 was no more than the Latics deserved and the perfect way for Wild to hand over the reins.
Oldham’s Mohamed Maouche fired in a snap shot early on, with Branger also testing Glenn Morris in the first half.
The deadlock was broken in the 74th minute when Branger’s free kick from a central position 20 yards out found the top left-hand corner.
Four minutes from time Branger led a break from inside his own half and slipped the ball to Dearnley, who applied a cool finish before Nepomuceno found the roof of the net in stoppage time.
“We have a strong squad that can do really well,” Dearnley added. “We’re eight points off the play-offs with 15 games to go and we have a good togetherness amongst the squad.
“If we keep our head down and work hard, there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t push for those play-off places. I’ve got no doubt that we can do it.
"I thought it was a really good performance by the whole team. They had a couple of chances in the second half but we seemed to get stronger.
"The goal was a great run from Johan and I managed to get a good strike and it's gone in and that sealed it for us. We're really pleased with how we played."
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