Oldham Athletic AFC vs Rochdale preview - Keeper worries for Latics

Posted Tuesday, March 24, 2015 by PA

Oldham have concerns over their two most senior goalkeepers ahead of Rochdale's visit to SportsDirect.com Park.

Blackburn loanee Jake Kean missed Saturday's victory over Crewe with a knee injury but returned from his parent club on Monday, where Latics staff were assessing the swelling to determine if he could feature 24 hours later.

Teenager Joel Coleman kept a clean sheet in his absence but injured his calf making a save and is highly doubtful - even if the results of his scan on Monday give a positive update - so manager Dean Holden may opt to acquire a goalkeeper on loan ahead of kick-off.

Saturday's match-winner Conor Wilkinson is unavailable due to being with the Republic of Ireland Under-21s and an injury list which includes Amari Morgan-Smith, Jacob Mellis, George Elokobi and Joseph Mills (all hamstring), as well as Liam Kelly (calf), Dominic Poleon (shoulder) and James Wilson (calf) shows no sign of abating just yet.

Rochdale manager Keith Hill could name an unchanged starting line-up for the third straight game.

Hill has no new selection problems following Saturday's 3-1 home win against Scunthorpe and could be tempted to stick with a winning formula as Dale bid to climb back into the top six with a third successive victory.

Joe Rafftery is now back in contention following a hamstring injury but may have to be patient, and that leaves only Matty Lund and Calvin Andrew on the sidelines.

Midfielder Lund is ahead of schedule as he recovers from surgery on his shoulder, while striker Andrew is working his way back from a minor knee operation.