December 2011

Cruelly for the Latics, the single passage of play that stuck in the mind was Mark Hughes’s cruel, late volley for Manchester United that salvaged an unlikely replay that the Red Devils went on to win.

Thank goodness for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy then, which is giving Oldham fans a chance to dream about a return to Wembley, where they could create a spectacle that they’d remember for all the right reasons.

A two legged tie against Chesterfield is all that separates the men from Boundary Park and a trip down the M1 and Oldham fans are starting to get excited about the prospect.

Mark and John Hubbard said: “The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is as important as the FA Cup to us.

“When you get to this stage of the competition, everything changes. You can see that by the crowd that’s here.”

Chris Murphy said: “To get to the final would be fantastic. It is a long time since we have been there. We haven’t always done particularly well in the trophy so this makes a great change for us!”

Mel Buckley and Mel Reeves said: “A day out at the final would be brilliant for the fans. It would also generate extra revenue for the club which would be extremely important.”

Philip Pache said: “A good finish for us would be around mid-table, so to get to the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy would really give us something to get excited about.”

Robert Robinson, a lifelong Latics fan said: “From a financial point of view alone, the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is helping the club enormously. It is also generating huge levels of excitement, so we are delighted to still be in the competition.”

Johnstone's. Bringing colour to the beautiful game.