The Latics travel to Mansfield Town on Saturday in the First Round of the FA Cup. Ricardo Fuller is expected to start up front, his first full debut, as the campaign begins to reach the Third Round and hopefully bring a money-spinning tie.
Liam Kelly will be out through suspension and Danny Lafferty’s loan spell is over. Cameron Dummigan is expected to extend his loan, although it is unsure whether Burnley will allow him to play as he would then be cup-tied. The other on-loan players, Jay Fulton, Jonathan Burn and Michael Higdon, will be in a similar position as decisions have not yet been made by their parent clubs. Second-year scholar Alex Read could also come into the fray.
Manager David Dunn said, “We might be missing quite a few but we will be going down to Mansfield very competitive, that’s for sure. We needed a spark (against Burton). It was getting a little flat at around 55 minutes, when the initial start to the second half went. We needed someone to liven us up a bit and Ricardo did that.”