Newport County host Oldham Athletic on Saturday (25 April) in the penultimate EFL League Two match of the season.
Oldham currently sit in 11th place with 65 points, but could finish the season in 9th place.
Here’s everything you need to know about our opponents.
The History
Oldham began identifying as ‘Oldham Athletic’ in 1899 due to nearby club Oldham County folding. This immediately gave them professional status.
The Latics were accepted into the Football League in 1907, and within three years made it to the First Division.
In the 1912/13 season, Oldham made it to the FA Cup Semi-Finals, losing out to Aston Villa by one goal.
However, the First World War halted their success, and they began to slowly fall down the league ladder and eventually became founding members of the Fourth Division.
Famously, the Mancunians were also founding members of the Premier League in 1992, spending three seasons in the top flight between 1991 and 1994, and making another FA Cup Semi-Final along the way.
In recent years, Oldham were relegated to the National League in 2022, and officially became the first former Premier League side to drop to non-league.
But they have since won promotion back to League Two, and have ambitions to regain their regular place in the EFL.
The Form
Oldham didn’t have a great start to the season, as they didn’t win a game until a month in.
The Latics drew four of their first five games in the league, as well as losing the other game to Swindon Town.
But the club have only won one out of five games, having lost their last three matches.
In cup competitions, Oldham were knocked out of the Second Round of the FA Cup, after they initially beat Northampton Town but suffered defeat to MK Dons.
Furthermore, The Latics were knocked out of the EFL Cup in the Preliminary Round after losing 3-1 to Accrington Stanley.
The Manager
Micky Mellon is the current manager at Boundary Park.
Mellon has so far had an impressive managerial career, managing Shrewsbury Town, Tranmere Rovers and Fleetwood Town.
He won The Latics promotion back to the EFL after an intense 3-2 playoff final win against Southend United last May.
Throughout this season, he has won Manager of the month after an impressive run of form in March.
In Oldham’s first season back in the Football League, he has led them to 11th-place securing them safety for another season.
The Captain
The current first team Captain for Oldham is Tom Conlon, who has been responsible for this role since 2024.
Conlon has only featured 11 times in the league this season after suffering an injury to his cruciate knee ligament.
The midfielder has spent time at many clubs such as Port Vale, Stevenage and Peterborough United.
Conlon helped the Latics gain promotion to League Two last season, playing 36 minutes in their Wembley victory last May.
Ones To Watch
One player to look out for on the left-hand side is Jamie Robson.
Robson has been a key player for Oldham this season, having helped contribute defensively to their season back in the EFL.
The defender has also been able to provide five assists, with three of them coming in his last five matches.
Another player that has been in great form for The Latics is veteran player Tom Pett.
Pett has scored and assisted in his last five games, displaying impressive performances.
Pett also works greatly in the middle of the pitch alongside fellow teammate Ryan Woods.