Club History
Formed in 1895
Pine Villa was formed in 1895 but on July 4, 1899 ceased to exist.
However, there were no tears because the name was changed and the birth of Oldham Athletic came about. Latics enjoyed success in the early years finishing runners-up in the First Division (the equivalent of today's Premier League) in 1914/15 having earlier reached the FA Cup semi final in 1913.
They lost their top-flight status in 1923 and would not regain it for 68 years. In the intervening years, most was spend in Division Three North, Divisions Three and Four. The club's three championship winning campaigns also came in this period in 1952/53 under the legendary George Hardwick, 1973/74 and 1990/91.
There had been dark days when Latics had to go cap in hand to the Football League to seek re-election after finishing in the bottom four in the basement division.
Latics have had a roller-coaster ride over the last twenty years, seeing action in the Premiership and the equivalent of the Championship before suffering relegation down to the current Coca-Cola League One.
They were founder members of the Premier League back in the 1992-93 season, and stayed in the top flight for three seasons - one campaign in the old First Division, two in the Premier League.
They also enjoyed glory in both cup competitions (FA and League Cup). Indeed, they appeared in the 1990 Littlewoods Cup Final at Wembley, only to lose 1-0 to the late Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, a game that even 'Cloughy' himself said was an unfair result.
The FA Cup also brought disappointment for Oldham when they lost two semi-finals to Manchester United. Their 1990 appearance in the last four was their first foray to that stage since 1913, but they bowed out to Manchester United 2-1 in a replay after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the initial clash.
Latics appeared in the semi-finals again in 1994, losing out 4-1 in a Maine Road replay following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
More recently, Latics fell on hard times and were forced to go into administration in the summer of 2003, but some much-needed financial stability was provided when three American-based businessmen - Simon Blitz, Simon Corney and Danny Gazal - purchased the club the following November.
In July 2022, local businessman Frank Rothwell completed his takeover of the club, later purchasing the Oldham Event Centre (OEC) based in the Joe Royle Stand.