The season is over

Last updated : 29 April 2006 By Dave Moore
The Latics season is over! The disappointing 1-0 loss at Doncaster buried any feint lingering hopes of sneaking into the play-off spots, a position still thought possible by Athletic's deluded manager. The incredible thing is that the top teams have been dropping points like crazy and any sort of decent form would have been enough to have easily sneaked into a play-off position. However, the Latics have fizzled out and only took two points from the last available eighteen on offer, relegation form rather than promotion form.

It's been a disasterous run-in to the season and one can already predict that Ronnie Moore's season sum up will be that we aimed for a top ten spot and achieved it. Success in his eyes, but failure in the eyes of most of the Latics dwindling number of faithfuls. What next? Ronnie's signings have on the whole been disappointing with a few exceptions, and he needs to look closely at his plan for the future.

He failed to get the team promoted in one of the worst League One divisions on record. It was a golden opportunity, and one can only hope that next seasons standard is equally as bad. There's only pride to play for in next weeks final game at home to Scunthorpe, something that the team have lacked in bucketsfull since the Easter rot set in. Yes Ronnie, some serious thinking needs to be done if Oldham, League One's current longest inhabitants, are to get out of this wretched division.