On May 8 1993, the Backstreet Boys performed their first-ever concert while Lennox Lewis defended his WBC Heavyweight title – Oldham Athletic created their own slice of history by completing the Premier League’s maiden ‘Great Escape’.
Twenty years ago, in the inaugural Premier League season, Latics were bottom of the table at the end of February but despite beating champions-elect Manchester United in March they required a minor miracle to stay up.
With three games left to play Oldham needed a trio of victories and hope Crystal Palace gained no more than one point from their final two matches to beat the drop.
Two decades later, former Latics defender Richard Jobson remembers how tough it was securing Premier League football for another season with games against title-challengers Aston Villa, Liverpool and Southampton.
“I think we always knew it was going to be a struggle given how the previous season went,” he told MM.
“In the lead up to the Villa game it looked very difficult just looking at the teams we had to play.”
Athletic secured an unlikely away victory thanks to a Nick Henry goal and in the process of keeping their survival dream alive handed United their first Championship since 1967.
The result gave belief to Jobson, who played 40 times during the 92/93 season, and his Oldham teammates.
“As soon as we won the Villa game we fancied our chances because we were competing against Palace,” he added.
“Their last game of the season was against Arsenal at Highbury who in those days were an extremely good team so we thought they would win it.
“However, in the last game against Southampton a win for us may not have been enough if Palace managed to get a draw or win.”
Three days after beating Villa, Latics defeated a Liverpool side containing Ian Rush 3-2 via a Darren Beckford goal and an Ian Olney double, while the Eagles drew 1-1 with Manchester City to set up a tense finale.
Oldham could still survive and knew how to cope with final-day drama after coming from behind to win the Second Division title with an injury-time penalty two years earlier – here was added pressure though.
“There was so much hanging on the game against Southampton because we were trying to retain our Premier League status,” said Jobson, who played 221 games during five years at Boundary Park.
“In those days there wasn’t mobile phones so we had to check the score of the Arsenal Crystal Palace game at half-time.
“We knew that Arsenal were 3-0 up at the end and I think we may have put it up on the scoreboard at Boundary Park.
“We knew we had to win then as Palace couldn’t really come back from behind 3-0 down.
“I remember them [Southampton] scoring late on so it was panic stations for the last ten minutes if I remember rightly”
Oldham led 4-1 after goals from Neil Pointon, Olney, Andy Ritchie and Gunnar Halle but Matt Le Tissier completed a hat-trick with five minutes remaining to create an edgy finish.
They held on to secure a famous victory and finish level with Palace on 49 points but guarantee survival by bettering the Eagles’ goal difference (-13) by just two, much to the delight of Jobson.
“The way we survived as we did on the last game of the season was pretty special,” said Jobson who played nearly 600 times in a 21-year professional career which included spells at City and Rochdale.
“It’s high up in my career along with the massive high two years previously when we actually got into the top flight.
“It’s certainly something that will remain in my memory for a long time and probably everyone connected with the club and the fans too.”
The following season, defeat in a pulsating FA Cup semi-final against United hindered the club as it failed to repeat the heroics of the previous season and bowed out of the Premier League.
“It’ll be difficult to repeat that with the club in its current form,” added Jobson.
“It’s just a shame we went down the following season with two games to go.”
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