Oldham 0 City 6

OLDHAM took a beating on the pitch but off it they couldn't have been happier as they banked more than £100,000 from the visit of their Premiership neighbours.

The money will help ease the day-to-day financial haemorrhaging that has threatened the Latics very existence over the summer, though quite what the six-goal mauling will have done to the confidence of Iain Dowie's squad remains to be seen.

In a roundabout way, Rochdale will be happy that the Blues cruised into a five- goal half-time lead because Keegan withdrew his entire starting XI after 45 minutes and then declared he would unleash them again at Spotland tonight (Monday, 7.30pm).

Oldham, already depleted by sales and injury, suffered a further blow in only the ninth minute of a friendly watched by an 11,259 crowd with hundreds locked outside in the sunshine, when veteran David Eyres limped out after a hefty tackle from Trevor Sinclair. The England man later apologised.

Even so the home side held out until the 23rd minute when Sinclair collected a Michael Tarnat pass and his headed cross then bounced against the hand of Marc Tierney.

Nicolas Anelka converted the penalty and opened the floodgates.

Timing

The second came in the 37th minute when Tarnat's chip into the box found the perfectly-timed run of Sinclair, who beat Les Pogliacomi with the header.

Two minutes from the break it was 3-0 courtesy of Robbie Fowler who showed all his class and instinct to pounce on Sinclair's astute pass and then bury it sweetly into the corner.

Within 60 seconds Oldham had conceded a fourth when Jihai Sun's right-flank cross found the head of Anelka who made it five goals in pre-season with a neat far-post header.

The simplest goal of the lot came in injury time when Tarnat's 70-yard diagonal pass flew over the static Latics' defence and Wright-Phillips hared in to make it 5-0 and three in as many minutes.

The goals didn't flow after the break with the fresh Blues only able to add to their tally in the 62nd minute when Christian Negouai's delightful chip rebounded off the bar and Paulo Wanchope headed home.

Wanchope hit the underneath of the bar with a late effort after a mesmerising pass by the hardworking Eyal Berkovic but Oldham, who didn't test David Seaman or Carlo Nash, survived further goals.

CITY: Seaman, Sun, Sommeil, Distin, Tarnat, Wright-Phillips, Bosvelt, Barton, Sinclair, Anelka, Fowler. Second half: Nash, Dunne, Mettomo, Wiekens, Ritchie, Negouai, Horlock, Berkovic, Tiatto, Wanchope, Macken.

OLDHAM: Pogliacomi, Hall, Tierney, Cooksey, Haining, Sheridan, Murray, Eyre, Wheatcroft, Vernon, Eyres.

Tweet