HEAD coach Keith Curle was pleased with a first run-out for his Latics side, as they kicked off their pre-season campaign with a win.

Goals in either half at Ashton United's Hurst Cross Stadium got Oldham off to a good start as they build up their preparations for the 2021/22 campaign.

It was a game of two halves, as Curle fielded two different XIs. New signings Jordan Clarke, Harrison McGahey and Sam Hart made up the back three in the first half before it was all change in the second.

Two trialists combined to give Latics an early lead, but former Rochdale and Blackpool forward Jack Redshaw equalised just before the break.

Latics had a stronger and more familiar line-up in the second half and Zak Dearnley had an early shot saved, while Nicky Adams went close with a free kick that dipped just over the bar, after good work by Vani Da Silva to win the set piece.

But Da Silva was involved again to win it, crossing from the left for Dearnley to steer into the far right corner.

"It was exactly what we needed from the game, a runaround, a good opportunity for some of the trialists to come out and have a good 45 minutes - we split it up by a mixture of signed players and trialists in both teams in both halves," said Curle.

"The scorelines at this stage of the season, it's not about that. Watching some of the players, have they picked up the information that we wanted to try to give them?

"I know it's difficult because we're playing on a slow pitch where the grass is longer so we move the ball slowly, but some of the principles that we're still trying to integrate, some of them will pick it up, some of them can see the pictures, some don't and that's the progression level that ultimately by the start of the season and the end of pre-season we want all players on the same page."

Curle, who takes his side to Stalybridge Celtic on Tuesday night (kick-off 7pm), added: "We're trying to get a mixture of old, new and trying to integrate so there are different partnerships working all over and different personnel.

"I don't take anything from any formation or line-ups in pre-season because it's purely based on trying to get combinations that I think at the start of the season are going to be in place."