Coca Cola League One

A DAVID Eyres double strike was the inspiration behind a remarkable Latics fightback after they were two-nil down.

The wily winger again showed why people should talk about his quality rather than his age, scoring twice in three minutes at the end of a thrilling first-half.

By that time Brian Talbot's men were staring a third consecutive defeat in the face, despite having shunned the aerial approach against Wrexham for a more cultured brand of passing.

They pressed the Saddlers and lacked only a finishing touch with Jermaine Johnson, Rodney Jack and Danny Boshell all going close.

Then, on 28 minutes, they undid it all when indecision from Mark Arber ' compounded by poor communication ' enabled Matt Fryatt to lift his shot beyond Les Pogliacomi.

Jack almost scrambled an instant reply with a shot deflected onto a post but Latics fell further behind inside five minutes.

Daryl Taylor exchanged passes with Darren Wrack and evaded Adam Griffin to smash home an unstoppable finish.

But cometh the hour, cometh Eyres, who yanked Latics back into the game with a moment of individual brilliance on 42 minutes.

Lining up a free-kick on the edge of the box, he spotted Richard McKinney moving towards the centre of goal and drilled a fierce shot inside his near post.

Eyres then levelled by smashing a fierce dipping shot over the ex-Colchester stopper after being played in by the outstanding Jack.

On 50 minutes, another Jack run culminated with a deft flick to Dean Holden, whose 20-yard shot proved too hot for McKinney to handle.

Latics then made it 4-2 just four minutes later with another wonderful goal as Eyre's well-weighted pass released Johnson and his raking cross was smashed in at close-range by Jack.

Walsall were handed a lifeline on 75 minutes when Arber was harshly adjudged to have fouled Fryatt and substitute Jorge Leitao netted from the spot.

If that was a penalty, then a cynical foul on hat-trick'seeking Eyres should certainly have been awarded eight minutes later, but Latics were able to wrap up the points in the dying seconds.

Substitute Matty Barlow held the ball and teed up Griffin, who had earlier struck a post, to drill a clinical left-footed shot past the beleaguered McKinney.

OLDHAM: Pogliacomi, Holden, Griffin, Bonner, Haining, Arber, Boshell (Appleby 77 mins), Jack, Eyre, Johnson (Barlow 85 mins), Eyres. Subs (not used): Mawson, Tierney, Beharall.

WALSALL: McKinney, Bazeley (Osborn 60 mins), Emblen, Roper, Birch (Leitao 69 mins), Merson, Wrack (Williams 79 mins), Fryatt, Bennett, D Taylor, Kinsella. Subs (not used): Paston, K Taylor.

Attendance: 5,654.

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