Preview: Boreham Wood vs. Oldham Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Boreham Wood have not won in the league since beating Wealdstone in early October, while Oldham are languishing second bottom in the table.

Match preview

Having won seven of their opening 13 league matches this season, head coach Luke Garrard will be disappointed by his team's recent run of poor results in the National League.

Just one point from their last five matches has seen the Wood drop to 12th in the table, although they still retain a decent chance of claiming a play-off spot given that they are only five points behind seventh-placed Solihull Moors with a game in hand ahead of facing Oldham.

Although their league form has been incredibly poor of late, Garrard's side did manage to book their place in the third round of the FA Cup for the second successive season, having gone all of the way to the fifth round before losing to Everton in the previous campaign.

Garrard will feel confident of reaching a similar stage once again having been drawn at home against Accrington Stanley in last week's draw following their impressive 2-0 win away to Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers, but in the meantime he will be determined to see his side's winless run of seven matches in the league come to an end against struggling Oldham in midweek.

Oldham's woes continue to mount, meanwhile, having become the first former Premier League team to fall into non-league football after being relegated from League Two last season.

At present, the Latics appear to be in serious danger of falling even further down the English football pyramid, with former Everton defender David Unsworth's side sitting in a relegation position - and four points from safety - ahead of their trip to Hertfordshire on Tuesday.

However, the 49-year-old may understandably point to the fact that his side have two or three games in hand on all of the teams around them in the table, but that will not count for much unless they improve their recent disastrous run of results.

Last week's 2-1 defeat to Solihull Moors was their fourth in their last five games, although given that is exactly the same recent record as their forthcoming opponents, something will have to give at Meadow Park in midweek.

Boreham Wood National League form:

D

L

D

L

L

L

Boreham Wood form (all competitions):

W

D

L

L

W

L

Oldham Athletic National League form:

W

L

L

L

D

L

Oldham Athletic form (all competitions):

L

L

L

L

D

L

Team News

Boreham Wood will be without Jamal Fyfield after his dismissal against Eastleigh last week earned the defender a suspension, with Dion Kelly-Evans perhaps the likeliest candidate to replace him.

Otherwise, Garrard is unlikely to make many changes to his starting XI, especially given that his side dug in well considering their numerical disadvantage for almost an hour of normal time.

Oldham, meanwhile, may also make very few alterations having put in an improved performance despite ultimately falling to Solihull Moors in their last match.

However, John Rooney could claim a start having scored from the bench in the Midlands.

Boreham Wood possible starting lineup:

Ashmore; Evans, Stephens, Kelly-Evans; Coxe, Broadbent, Payne, Brunt, Ilesanmi; Ndlovu, Newton

Oldham Athletic possible starting lineup:

Norman; Clarke, Hogan, Kitching, Sheron; Tollitt, Chapman, Peck, Gardner; Hope, Reid

We say: Boreham Wood 2-1 Oldham Athletic

With both teams enduring remarkably poor form in the National League in recent times, something surely has to give in Hertfordhsire on Tuesday.

Boreham Wood should have taken great confidence from their FA Cup heroics once again, and we expect them to have too much for a struggling Oldham outfit.

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