"Bad boy striker Lee Hughes fought with his Oldham manager John Sheridan after a boozy night out erupted in violence. Hughes squared up to Sheridan before slamming him into a headlock as tempers reached breaking point during an evening at the dogs. Goalkeeper Mark Crossley was forced to jump in to break up the ruck on a day of shame for the Latics. Hughes' brawl was the SECOND of the night and followed senior pro Sean Gregan laying into £1million-rated winger Chris Taylor, 22."
"The trouble kicked off when the team went to the Belle Vue dog track in Manchester last Tuesday - and made straight for the bar. With the booze flowing, Oldham's recent slump in form was dissected by players and the manager, leading to the angry confrontations. The players and Sheridan finally left after rowing with staff to the shock of onlookers. The side were enjoying a surprising two-day break from training that came at a crucial time in the season for their League One promotion hopes. And the off-field antics did little to help team bonding as the Latics were beaten 1-0 at home by Colchester on Saturday - and are now worrying over their place in the play-offs. Hughes, who joined Oldham in 2007 after serving half of a six-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, and Gregan both played a full 90 minutes in the defeat."
A club source said: "What has gone on is incredible. We should be working together to get promotion and instead everyone is fighting each other." Oldham chief executive Alan Hardy said: "I am aware that there were some incidents during the night which are now the subject of a full investigation. We are reviewing some CCTV footage and if any member of staff, including players, are found to have acted inappropriately then we will take the strongest possible action. The CCTV does show one or two confrontations, but apart from these incidents it was a very successful night."