Team news

Latics have hopes for captain Oldham are hoping to have captain Dean Furman available when they host Walsall.

Midfielder Furman has been absent from Latics' last three games with an ankle injury and will be assessed following training on Monday.

Zander Diamond is still a week away from a return to action due to his hip problem, meaning youngster James Tarkowski is set to continue at the heart of the defence.

Striker Reuben Reid is due back in training this week as he steps up his recovery from an ongoing thigh muscle problem which has plagued him the past four months.

Paul Dickov's side are poised to play their first game in a fortnight after the npower League One matches with Leyton Orient, Stevenage and Brentford all fell foul of the weather.

Jimmy Walker and Jonathan Macken are not quite ready for Walsall.

Goalkeeper Walker and veteran striker Macken both sustained hamstring injuries in the 1-0 home defeat to Notts County at the end of January and are only now approaching full fitness.

The postponement of Walsall's last two fixtures against Scunthorpe and Colchester has meant the pair have not missed much game time, and they are hoping to return in Saturday's home clash against Wycombe.

Otherwise, manager Dean Smith has a fully-fit squad to select from at Boundary Park as the struggling Saddlers look to end a six-match winless run.

Oldham vs Walsall

Last modified 22:27 14/02/12

Saddlers pay penalty Walsall's relegation worries deepened as they missed an injury-time penalty and slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Oldham.

Alex Cisak was the Latics hero, dramatically saving Alex Nicholls' spot-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Oldham struck after just 73 seconds when Filipe Morais was teed-up by a combination of Keanu Marsh-Brown and Robbie Simpson before smashing a shot in off the crossbar from 12 yards.

Walsall's Florent Cuvelier struck a post with a fierce drive, but the hosts carved out further chances for Shefki Kuqi and Tom Adeyemi.

They extended their lead after 31 minutes when Adeyemi crossed from the right and Simpson controlled smartly before volleying home from eight yards. Simpson also sent two headers off target.

But Walsall made an opening just after the hour mark when substitute Oliver Lancashire prodded off target. The Saddlers grabbed a 74th-minute lifeline through Cuvelier, whose 18-yard shot went straight through Cisak at his near post.