Sheridan's Oldham soar when chips are down


Last updated at 20:04 06 January 2008

John Sheridan had just masterminded the upset of the FA Cup third round but the celebrations had to go on hold.

Making a mockery of the gap

between 13th in League One and

fifth in the Barclays Premier

League was worth marking in style,

but there was just one problem.

The chip shop was shut.

A pre-match blaze at the Goodison

Road Supper Bar inconvenienced

all and sundry by delaying

kick-off by 30 minutes. But nobody

was more put out than Sheridan.

Spotting its proximity to the main

entrance when Oldham's team bus

pulled into Goodison Park, the former

Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

midfielder promised his players fish

and chips all round if they made it

into the last 32.

With their win bonus fixed at £75 a

man, the scenes of elation at the end

of a deserved win could only be

taken as evidence that Reading's

Dave Kitson was not expressing a

majority view when he derided football's

oldest prize as an unwanted


It clearly meant everything to

Sheridan and his players as they

claimed the biggest scalp of the day,

then stayed true to their humble

roots in a way that reflected the

Cup's enduring appeal.

Sheridan volleyed a Wembley

winner for Ron Atkinson's Sheffield

Wednesday in a League Cup Final

against Manchester United 17 years ago. But nothing could compare

with seeing Gary McDonald's

looping 45th-minute strike and then

surviving a late onslaught that

culminated in substitute Aiyegbeni

Yakubu hitting the post deep in

injury time.

When the final whistle sounded,

the entire away bench joined

Oldham's players to head across the

pitch and share the moment with

6,000 travelling fans.

When they finally returned, they

exchanged more clenched-fist victory

salutes with Oldham officials

still spread across the front two

rows of an otherwise deserted directors'

box. All for an extra £75 and a

free fish supper, providing a chippy

in working order could be located.

Kitson was put firmly in his place

by Sheridan. 'I couldn't disagree

more with his comments about the

Cup,' said Oldham's rookie boss as

he revelled in his latest success. "I'm

sure if he got to the quarter-finals or

even further he wouldn't be coming

out with stuff like that.

"I've loved the FA Cup for as long

as I can remember, even further

back than my playing days, and I

won't hear a word against it. I was

lucky enough to play in the '93 final

for Wednesday against Arsenal and

it's one of the best occasions you will

ever experience. For me, he showed

a lack of respect for the greatest

competition in the game.

travel 10 miles down the road to Old

Trafford in the fourth round it would

be perfect.

"I'm just so proud of the players for

working so hard, chasing non-stop

and keeping a clean sheet against

top opposition. I told them to go out

and enjoy themselves when we get

back. A few pints, whatever. Most of

them drink orange juice so I'm not

too worried about them getting into


"I also told them we'd get fish and

chips across the road if we won but

the fire put paid to that. We'll stop

somewhere, though. If there isn't

another chippy it might have to be

an off-licence.

"My players have lots of energy and

a fair bit of pace but they frustrate

me at times when they get the ball.

The top players take care of it a lot

better and see things a lot earlier

and I'm trying to instill that into

these lads. We're trying to play the

right way and I keep telling them

that if they work on those aspects

we can all go on to a higher level."

David Moyes may have bigger fish

to fry against Chelsea in tomorrow's

Carling Cup semi-final first leg, but

the look of thunder on his face took

care of any suggestion that he might

not have been too bothered about

his understrength side's early exit.

Worryingly for the Everton manager,

the theory that he may finally

have a squad capable of challenging

on all fronts looked fatally flawed.

Keeper Stefan Wessels and midfielder

Thomas Gravesen made rare

starts that are likely to become even

rarer after both fell alarmingly below

the standards required for any team

with designs on a top four finish.

Once James Vaughan had been

denied by keeper Mark Crossley, a

veteran of the 1991 final between

Tottenham and Nottingham Forest,

there was an increasing air of resignation

about Everton's laboured


'This was an opportunity for one or

two players and I'm surprised they

didn't make more of it,' said Moyes.

'The goal was a speculative 25-yard

shot that should have been saved.

For some reason our keeper seemed

nervous throughout. But there were

a few who didn't come up to the

mark. I'm disappointed and a little

angry and it's going to take a day or

so to get this out of our system.'

'Even if I was a Premier League

player or manager I'd be saying the

same. It probably means more to a

club like ours, with the obvious

financial rewards. If we could just