Oldham Athletic’s Head of Youth Tony Philliskirk described his side as a nearly team after they left Burnley as 2-1 losers on Saturday.
The Latics were undone by the last kick of the game at Gawthorpe after having chances to put the match to bed.
“At the moment we are a nearly team. We could have won every one of our last five games but haven’t done so,” Philliskirk told the Club’s website.
“We are nearly there but, when we are on top, we are not taking our chances.”
Everything had looked good for Oldham when Jack Laird applied a finish to a neat passing move to put the Latics ahead on 16 minutes
However the hosts hit-back almost immediately when Adams Evans got on the end of a cross-shot from Jason Gilchrist to tuck the ball away from close range.
Oldham responded in the second period and Joe Cooper and Carlton McIntosh were guilty of missing easy chances in front of goal.
With the game seemingly petering out a draw looked inevitable.
Step forward Steven Hewitt. The Burnley midfielders match-winning 94th minute free kick described by Philliskirk as a ‘wonder strike’.
“If we had three goalkeepers, it would still have gone in and it was worthy of winning any game,” he explained.
The result gave Burnley their fifth straight win in the League as they challenge at the top of the North West Youth Aliiance.
A bad day for Oldham was compounded by the news that Tomos Jones will be a major doubt for tomorrow night’s FA Youth Cup clash with neighbours Rochdale. The Wales U19 International limped out of the action on Saturday with a groin strain.
