Preview
Alright, grab your pint and settle in, because we've got a right mismatch down in League Two this Saturday afternoon. Tranmere are hosting Oldham, and if the form book means anything at all, the away side should be leaving Merseyside with the three points tucked in their back pocket.
Let's start with the home side, and I hope you're sitting down for this, mate. Tranmere are in absolute freefall. We're talking one win in their last ten games – and that was a 2-0 victory against struggling Crawley Town back in mid-February. Since then? It's been a horror show. They got absolutely battered 5-0 by Notts County, shipped four against Cambridge United in a 4-2 defeat, and just last Tuesday they went down 3-1 at home to Newport County, who are languishing down in 22nd place. Nine defeats from ten, 23 goals conceded in that run – that's over two goals a game they're leaking. When you're conceding buckets to the likes of Newport and Accrington (who beat them 1-0 at home recently), you've got proper problems.
Now, turn your attention to Oldham, and it's a completely different picture. Nigel's boys – sorry, I mean the Latics – are on a lovely little run. They've gone four games unbeaten, including a cracking 3-0 away win at Gillingham and a 2-0 home victory against Bristol Rovers. But the result that really caught my eye was Tuesday night's 0-0 draw against Bromley, who are top of the league and flying. If you can go to the league leaders and keep a clean sheet, you're doing something right. Oldham have kept four clean sheets in their last ten, and their trend lines are all pointing upwards – improving at both ends of the pitch.
The head-to-head doesn't offer Tranmere much comfort either. Oldham won the reverse fixture 3-1 back in December, and while Tranmere have historically held their own at Prenton Park in this fixture, current form trumps ancient history every day of the week.
Looking at the odds, Oldham are available at 2.20 for the away win. When you've got a side that's lost nine of ten against a side that's just held the league leaders, that price starts looking very tasty indeed. Tranmere are desperate, but desperate teams with no confidence tend to make mistakes, not pull off miracles.
Key Points:
• Tranmere have lost 9 of their last 10 matches, conceding 23 goals in that run
• Oldham are unbeaten in their last 4 games (W3 D1), including a 0-0 draw at league leaders Bromley
• Tranmere's only win in the last 10 came against struggling Crawley Town (2-0)
• Oldham kept 4 clean sheets in their last 10 games compared to Tranmere's 1
• Oldham won the reverse fixture 3-1 in December 2025
• Tranmere are 19th in the table (35 points), Oldham are 14th (46 points)
The Verdict:
Sometimes the form book is there for a reason, and this is one of those times. Tranmere can't stop conceding, Oldham are organised and confident, and at 2.20, the away win represents decent value. I'm backing Oldham to heap more misery on the hosts and continue their march up the table.
