A tense and dramatic encounter at Boundary Park ended in a 1-1 draw between Oldham Athletic and Rochdale. The visitors struck early, capitalising on a defensive lapse in the fifth minute. Jay Bird seized the opportunity, putting Rochdale ahead and silencing the home crowd. Stung by the early setback, Oldham responded by increasing the pressure on the Rochdale defence. However, their momentum was disrupted by two quickfire yellow cards, shown to Tom Pett in the 31st minute and Tom Conlon in the 34th minute for fouls, disrupting their rhythm and allowing Rochdale to see out the remainder of the half with their slender lead intact.
Oldham manager Micky Mellon sought to change the dynamic of the match at half-time, introducing Kian Harratt and Shaun Hobson for Tom Pett and Reagan Ogle respectively. Rochdale initially absorbed Oldham’s renewed offensive efforts comfortably. As the match wore on, Oldham continued to search for an equaliser, making further substitutions with Jesurun Uchegbulam replacing Billy Waters in the 58th minute, and James Norwood and Vimal Yoganathan coming on for Mike Fondop-Talum and Tom Conlon respectively in the 75th minute. Rochdale also made changes, replacing goalscorer Jay Bird with veteran striker Ian Henderson in the 69th minute and Tarryn Allarakhia with Ethan Ebanks-Landell in the 75th minute. Leon Ayinde replaced Aidan Barlow for Rochdale in the 86th minute.
With time ticking away and Rochdale seemingly heading towards a valuable away victory, the match took a dramatic turn in the 85th minute. Substitute Vimal Yoganathan, having been on the pitch for just ten minutes, reacted quickest to a loose ball in the Rochdale penalty area and fired home the equaliser, sparking jubilant celebrations amongst the Oldham faithful. The final five minutes were a frantic affair, with both sides pushing for a late winner, but neither could find the decisive breakthrough, and the match ended all square.
The draw leaves Oldham in 4th place and Rochdale in 7th.