Wellens satisfied with point as Oldham take control of own League One fate

Posted Sunday, April 29, 2018 by PA

Oldham manager Richie Wellens was satisfied with a point after his side drew 0-0 with Doncaster and moved out of the League One relegation zone.

The stalemate, coupled with Rochdale’s defeat at Oxford, meant Oldham will be in control of their own fate on the final day of the season.

Doncaster could have made the breakthrough, but Andy Butler, John Marquis and Ben Whiteman all failed to trouble goalkeeper Johnny Placide from good positions.

Oldham went closest through Duckens Nazon, who brought a fine save from Ian Lawlor and also fired inches wide from 20 yards.

Wellens said: “I thought we shaded it. We were really pressing in the second half, but we just couldn’t get over the line.

“Again we lacked that bit of quality you need at crucial times, but all in all it has probably been a positive day.

“Our destiny is back in our hands thankfully and, to be honest, that’s all I could have asked for before the game.

“It can be difficult for the players when we’re hearing things on the sidelines, but thankfully it worked out for us in the end.

“We tried everything to get the three points and every single one of the players showed loads of character and desire.

“Maybe we didn’t quite work the goalkeeper hard enough but, while it hasn’t been a great day, it has turned out to be decent for us.

“We’ve got the game at Northampton to look forward to now, and we’ve got a full week to prepare.

“It’ll be an emotional day next Saturday, there will be ups and downs, but we’ll go there with confidence.”

Doncaster manager Darren Ferguson said: “It was very competitive, which we knew it would be.

“The players showed how much we are trying to win games right to the end, but today was an example of our season as a whole.

“We defended well and had a good shape, but – where it mattered – we didn’t have enough at the top of the pitch.

“That has been our biggest problem because too many times we have missed opportunities to get shots away or play the final ball.

“The quality hasn’t been there and it’s something I need to address for next season.

“There were a lot of good performances, we were very committed and I’m pleased with the clean sheet, but we need to be more ruthless and score more goals.

“It comes down to quality and sometimes it comes down to concentration.

“The next two games are big for us because I want us to be towards the top half of the league.”