John Sheridan’s team wore an all-pink strip for the night as part of a drive to raise £250,000 for the Royal Oldham Hospital.
But, while their luminous players shone like beacons, the football did not and in the end they were perhaps fortunate to escape with a point as play-off rivals Leeds created the clearer chances.
Sheridan was happy with the point, especially after Saturday’s win at Millwall, but admitted he was a bit fazed by all the fuss surrounding the charity night when his focus was on an important match.
He said: “The draw was a fair result but it’s a shame that when we got our noses in front we couldn’t hold it a bit longer because it might have been a different game.
“I expected a high tempo and knew there wouldn’t be a lot of quality football but there was a lot of effort and hard work.
“The pink stuff was all a bit too much - before the game I could hear them playing the Pink Panther theme tune! I was trying to concentrate on the game but I suppose it was for a good cause.
“The good thing is we haven’t lost any ground and to get four points from these two games is very pleasing.”
Top scorer Lee Hughes squeezed in his 17th goal of the season from a seemingly impossible angle to give Latics the lead but 100 seconds later Leeds' Argentinian hit man Luciano Becchio levelled it.
Possession
Oldham had plenty of first-half possession but it was Leeds who were the more penetrating.
On 10 minutes Daniel Jones pulled off a terrific tackle to prevent Becchio bursting clear on goal, and the on-loan defender then got lucky as Robert Snodgrass fielded the rebound and crossed against his hand for a loud penalty shout.
Hughes almost squirmed and muscled his way through a packed Leeds area but his shot was blocked by Rui Marques - not the first time Latics were denied by a solid defence.
Leeds top scorer Jermaine Beckford scorned the best chance of the half, heading wide when Neil Kilkenny’s excellent cross found him unmarked at the far post.
The visitors threatened again just before half time when Snodgrass measured another tasty cross but Bradley Johnson completely miscued at the far post.
But the Leeds’ defence lost all its solidity early in the second half to hand Oldham the lead.
Oldham won possession on the edge of the Leeds box and the defence stood watching as Deane Smalley looped in a cross which he seemed to have over-hit. Hughes gave chase and somehow managed to knock it through the legs of goalkeeper Casper Ankergren and into the net from the tight angle on 51 minutes.
The joy was short-lived as Leeds stormed up the other end to level within two minutes.
Becchio forced a great save from Greg Fleming but from the resulting corner the striker was again unmarked and this time planted his header home.
Beckford brought another fine save from Fleming as Leeds pressed for a winner, and the same man was thwarted by a desperate clearance from Oldham skipper Sean Gregan as he tried to walk the ball into the net.
OLDHAM: Fleming 8, Eardley 7, Hazell 6, Gregan 6, Jones 6, Smalley 7 (Liddell 79 mins), Allott 6, Maher 5, Taylor 5, Hughes 7 (Windass 90), Kabba 6 (Alessandra 70, 6).
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