The Latics came through the six-pointer at Gigg Lane to take a step closer to safety from relegation. Matt Smith came on as substitute and scored the only, and match-winning, goal that sealed relegation for neighbours Bury. The Latics took 2,073 travelling fans on the short trip and a further estimated 300 fans were locked out of the ground.
Manager Lee Johnson was obviously delighted with the result and commented, "It was a heroic display of mentality because it was not a great first half and in the second we had to make sure we were more positive and didn’t concede. Afterwards I told the players I was proud of them for winning a tough, tough game. In the second half we had them on the rack and the substitutes made a difference. In the end it was a very good win and good away performance. We had to win the battle and it must have been an emotional day for supporters. It was going to be intense and we had to play the right characters for the day."
"It was as though the fans were almost sucking it into the goal and you saw how passionate everybody was. The fans also saw how passionate the players were at the end and also when we scored. The atmosphere made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and, if it did that to me, I am sure it also did so to the players."