OLDHAM Athletic believe they have a “proven winner” in new manager Micky Mellon.

The club have unveiled the Scot as their new boss, on a deal until the summer of 2026.

And the former Tranmere chief, who has achieved five promotions in his managerial career, along with four as a player, arrives at Boundary Park with a determination “to deliver the success that everyone here craves”.

 

On joining Latics, Mellon said: “The aspirations of the club and the developments in recent times mean it is a genuine privilege to be joining Oldham Athletic at this juncture.

“There is so much potential here and the scope to achieve something very special.

“The supporters of this club deserve success and together I want us to embark on a journey that will create lasting memories for us all.

“This is a hugely exciting opportunity at a wonderful football club and I am determined to deliver the success that everyone here craves.”

Latics had over 60 applications for the vacant managerial post following the departure of David Unsworth three days short of his first anniversary in charge.

Explaining why Mellon was the pick of the pack, the Oldham board of directors said: “Micky’s credentials as a manager speak for themselves. He has a magnificent track record, he is a proven winner and we are extremely pleased to welcome him to the club.

“Over the last three weeks, we have conducted a comprehensive recruitment process, engaging in dialogue with various candidates.

“During this time, we have spoken to Micky for several hours on a number of separate occasions, and his passion, experience and drive to bring success to Oldham Athletic has always shone through.

“We’d like to thank Steve Thompson, Neil Redfearn and Paul Murray for their collective efforts in looking after first team matters for the last six games, allowing us to complete this process.

“We can now look forward together to an exciting next chapter with Micky at the helm.”

Mellon will be in the stands for tomorrow’s FA Cup clash at Altrincham. His first official game in charge will be the first National League clash of the season with rivals Rochdale, at Spotland.

Mellon, 51, has won promotion five times as a manager, including two from the National League with Fleetwood Town, where he signed Jamie Vardy, and Tranmere Rovers, where he went on to complete back-to-back promotions.

A 17-year playing career took him from Bristol City to Lancaster City, via clubs including West Brom, Blackpool, Burnley and Tranmere.

After making the move into management with Fleetwood he won promotion from what was then Conference North via the play-offs in 2010, finishing fifth the following season but losing their play-off semi-final with Wimbledon.

Fleetwood took the division by storm the season after and won promotion to the Football League as champions with 103 points.

Mellon had a brief spell at Barnsley, where he was David Flitcroft's number two, before returning to management with Shrewsbury, where he won promotion back to the third tier of English football at the first attempt in 2015.

He then returned to take charge of his old club, Tranmere, guiding them to the 2018 National League play-off final where they beat Boreham Wood to return to the Football League, and he celebrated back-to-back promotions the following year, again at Wembley, after a play-off final win over Newport County.

Tranmere were relegated in the Covid curtailed season the following year. Rovers had a game in hand and had won three on the spin but the season was cancelled and they went down on points per game.

Mellon had a season in the Scottish Premier Division with Dundee United in 2020/21 before returning for a second managerial spell at Tranmere, which ended in March this year.