Latest news with #MikeFondop
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Oldham 3-2 Southend: Latics mount INCREDIBLE comeback to win National League play-offs - and return to EFL after years of stagnation and hurt
Oldham left Southend speechless with a pulsating comeback to exorcise their demons of the recent era and restore their place in the Football League. How do you bottle up such ecstasy? The Latics looked down and out after 110 minutes of this scrappy, roistering, explosive affair. Then substitutes James Norwood and Kian Harratt turned history on its head. Wembley was deafening. No fans have known mediocrity and stagnation better than Oldham's. The Latics became the first former Premier League side to drop into non-league in 2022. This was their first play-off campaign since 2007 and only the fourth time they had finished in the top half of a division since then. In 2021, fans carried a mock coffin in protest against then-owner Abdallah Lemsagam, with the club threatened by administration and struggling to pay salaries. Calling it bleak doesn't do their pain justice. Now, finally, they have redemption. Micky Mellon, their 19th manager in the last decade and the first to complete a full season in that time, has brought an offering no man before him could. Joy. Star striker Mike Fondop, 31, was not even born the last time Oldham won a promotion back in 1991. The build-up to this one was marred by frustration at an initial ticket allocation of just 40,000. After much lobbying, that restriction was relaxed and we saw a record National League attendance – 52,115 – with supporters journeying from as far as Australia. It was hardly a pretty contest – there were plenty of scraps and long balls to speak of – but it was aptly raucous for two giants at this level who spent a combined consecutive 226 years in the EFL before their relegations. Seven years ago, this was a League One fixture. Fans knew they were in for a rollercoaster after two minutes when Oldham's Vimal Yoganathan danced past his man and pinned a cross at the far post, but Mark Kitching was just unable to reach it. Southend drew first blood after five minutes when Manny Monthe saw calamity. The defender, so experienced on this stage, dinked the ball into his own net under pressure from Charley Kendall. Cue pandemonium from the Shrimpers, who had brought more than 150 coach loads and thousands more on the train. Multiple chances went begging for the Latics in the first half. Yoganathan fluffed a header from point-blank range 18 minutes in. Star striker Mike Fondop, who initially moved here from Cameroon to study actuarial science, blew and blew but could not collapse the house. It is believed fans paid to fly out his father from his homeland. The marksman missed two gilt-edged chances in the first period and was denied a penalty despite a rash challenge from Harry Taylor, who was otherwise unimpeachable. Oldham perhaps began to feel it wasn't their day when Fondop inexplicably chipped the ball wide after racing through one-on-one just before half-time. Fans erupted in cheers thinking it had gone in, only for their faces to turn pale. How had he missed? But Micky Mellon's men were gifted a chance to get level just after the break when Ben Goodliffe dragged down Monthe in the box – and duly took it. Joe Garner, once a Championship man, stepped up and stroked home from 12 yards, sending Nick Hayes the wrong way and charging over to celebrate with the euphoric Oldham masses. In the latter stages the game remained attritional. Corry Evans was booked for a poorly timed slide on Macauley Bonne. Oldham skipper Charlie Raglan, a bullying fortress throughout the day, continued to command a stern defence. Southend's top-scoring right-back, Gus Scott-Morriss, struck a half-volley from 25 yards with minutes to go but it was straight down the throat of Mathew Hudson. A minute into stoppage time, Oldham let out an almighty groan as Kitching flashed a low first-time effort just wide of the post. But nobody could find a winner after 99 minutes of struggle. And so into extra-time it was, like the previous four non-league showpiece occasions. of course, it had to go this way. Then it was Parillon's time to etch his name into Southend folklore - or so he thought. Hudson parried a cross from Scott-Morriss straight into his path and the substitute nutted in the most pressurised header of his life. Southend's almost 30,000 disciples went delirious. But the day wasn't done. Oldham had other ideas. First, Norwood latched onto a long ball and rounded Hayes to finish. Then Harratt swung a speculative cross into the far post and nobody touched it. MIraculously, it went in. Oldham have redemption.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fondop's wall-mounted motivation to take Oldham up
Oldham Athletic's 116-year stay in the English Football League ended in ignominy in 2022. The Latics picked up the unenviable record of becoming the first former Premier League club to drop out of the top four tiers of English football. Advertisement Three years on from that chastening relegation, one man who has seen the club at its lowest ebb has set about leading the charge back to league football. BBC Radio Manchester spoke to striker Mike Fondop about how he has motivated himself to lead Oldham to glory in Sunday's National League promotion final against Southend United at Wembley. The 31-year-old arrived at the club during Oldham's ill-fated 2022 season but injuries restricted him to just two appearances. Despite the club losing its EFL status, Fondop stuck with the club and has scored 37 goals in 113 National League appearances since. Advertisement But what encouraged him to stay at Boundary Park? "The manager at the time, John Sheridan, called me after the end of the season and said 'I need you to come back. You owe me because I signed you and you only played two games. I want you to get this club back where it belongs'," Fondop said. "So that has always been an objective because I came and I didn't have a chance to help them stay in League Two. "The club doesn't belong in League Two, they belong higher than that but it is a step by step process." Between their relegation from League Two and the start of the following 2022-23 National League season, a takeover of the Latics by local businessman Frank Rothwell was completed. Advertisement That ended Abdallah Lemsagam's tenure in control of the club and Fondop said that the difference between then and now is stark. "The club is absolutely different now. The ownership now is more family orientated. The owners are approachable and want everyone to feel part of a family," he added. "In the past it felt toxic. As a player I was focused on what I was signed to do but the environment at the time felt toxic. Now it is so different. "If a club doesn't treat its players well you might think in the long run you can get away with it, you might for a period of time, but eventually it is going to affect results. Now the treatment is completely different." 'I wasn't even born last time Oldham won promotion' Fondop scored in the win against Halifax to set up their victorious semi-final against York City [Getty Images] Oldham are not a club which have had much to celebrate in recent decades, having floated around the lower leagues of English football both before and after the turn of the millennium - having spent 21 years in the third tier prior to relegation to League Two in 2018. Advertisement Their most recent promotion came in 1991 when they won the then-Division Two second tier championship. Their recent record makes for grim reading. Their first season in the National League saw them finish 12th and was the first time they had finished in the top half of a division since 2009. Fondop said a team talk from boss Micky Mellon about how long it had been since the club had won promotion helped motivate him ahead of the trip to the capital. "It has been 34 years since we experienced promotion. I'm 31 so last time they won promotion I wasn't even born," Fondop added. "After the gaffer said that I went home and wrote down 34 years in bold on a piece of paper with my goals for the season and I put it on my kitchen wall. It's always in my mind. Advertisement "It's in my head every day because I want to be part of history and I want the fans to get back into the feeling of what Oldham deserves. It means more than people might think. It's in my kitchen until today and I'm not going to remove it until it is done." As for how he plans to ease his nerves ahead of running out at Wembley, Fondop has an eclectic and varied music taste. "On gamedays I listen to gospel and that is what calms me," he said. "I love Andrea Bocelli, Time To Say Goodbye is one of my favourites. "I love jazz music as well, I don't have one specific type of song, I love a bit of everything. Usually in my downtime I can listen to opera and jazz. I don't like listening to things that give me headaches."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fondop's wall-mounted motivation to take Oldham up
Oldham Athletic's 116-year stay in the English Football League ended in ignominy in Latics picked up the unenviable record of becoming the first former Premier League club to drop out of the top four tiers of English years on from that chastening relegation, one man who has seen the club at its lowest ebb has set about leading the charge back to league Radio Manchester spoke to striker Mike Fondop about how he has motivated himself to lead Oldham to glory in Sunday's National League promotion final against Southend United at Wembley. The 31-year-old arrived at the club during Oldham's ill-fated 2022 season but injuries restricted him to just two the club losing its EFL status, Fondop stuck with the club and has scored 37 goals in 113 National League appearances what encouraged him to stay at Boundary Park?"The manager at the time, John Sheridan, called me after the end of the season and said 'I need you to come back. You owe me because I signed you and you only played two games. I want you to get this club back where it belongs'," Fondop said."So that has always been an objective because I came and I didn't have a chance to help them stay in League Two."The club doesn't belong in League Two, they belong higher than that but it is a step by step process."Between their relegation from League Two and the start of the following 2022-23 National League season, a takeover of the Latics by local businessman Frank Rothwell was ended Abdallah Lemsagam's tenure in control of the club and Fondop said that the difference between then and now is stark."The club is absolutely different now. The ownership now is more family orientated. The owners are approachable and want everyone to feel part of a family," he added."In the past it felt toxic. As a player I was focused on what I was signed to do but the environment at the time felt toxic. Now it is so different."If a club doesn't treat its players well you might think in the long run you can get away with it, you might for a period of time, but eventually it is going to affect results. Now the treatment is completely different." 'I wasn't even born last time Oldham won promotion' Oldham are not a club which have had much to celebrate in recent decades, having floated around the lower leagues of English football both before and after the turn of the millennium - having spent 21 years in the third tier prior to relegation to League Two in most recent promotion came in 1991 when they won the then-Division Two second tier recent record makes for grim reading. Their first season in the National League saw them finish 12th and was the first time they had finished in the top half of a division since said a team talk from boss Micky Mellon about how long it had been since the club had won promotion helped motivate him ahead of the trip to the capital."It has been 34 years since we experienced promotion. I'm 31 so last time they won promotion I wasn't even born," Fondop added."After the gaffer said that I went home and wrote down 34 years in bold on a piece of paper with my goals for the season and I put it on my kitchen wall. It's always in my mind."It's in my head every day because I want to be part of history and I want the fans to get back into the feeling of what Oldham deserves. It means more than people might think. It's in my kitchen until today and I'm not going to remove it until it is done."As for how he plans to ease his nerves ahead of running out at Wembley, Fondop has an eclectic and varied music taste."On gamedays I listen to gospel and that is what calms me," he said."I love Andrea Bocelli, Time To Say Goodbye is one of my favourites."I love jazz music as well, I don't have one specific type of song, I love a bit of everything. Usually in my downtime I can listen to opera and jazz. I don't like listening to things that give me headaches."
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Oldham thrash Halifax to reach play-off semi-final
Oldham roared into the Vanarama National League play-off semi-finals with a 4-0 win over raced into a three-goal lead after just 12 minutes, with Joe Garner converting from a corner in the third Kitching struck in the 10th minute after Mike Fondop headed a free-kick back across goal, and two minutes later Fondop nodded in the Pritchard fired home the fourth midway through the second half to book a semi-final against York next report supplied by PA Media
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rochdale 0-1 Oldham Athletic
Mike Fondop scored the only goal to give Oldham victory in the Lancashire derby against Rochdale. Fondop headed home from Tom Pett's cross in the 18th minute to secure the visitors all three points at Spotland. Rochdale were unable to fashion an equaliser and goalkeeper Sam Waller had to produce a superb save from substitute Josh Kay to prevent the Latics doubling their lead. The win lifted Oldham to fourth in the National League table and left Rochdale in seventh on goal difference.
