In difficult conditions, Latics top scorer Jose Baxter gave his side a third minute lead but Williams levelled from the penalty spot after Ed Upson was tripped in the box. The Welsh wizard then added his second with a stunning goal right on half time before Hayter and Madden finished things off either side of a red card for sub Robbie Simpson for a studs-up challenge on Marek Stech.

Considering the pitch and the weather, the match was entertaining in parts and the home side’s advantage was helped by a lack of discipline in the final fifteen minutes from the visiting Manchester side who lost their cool after getting what they considered to be rough justice from the official, Philip Gibbs.

The win moves Yeovil up into eleventh after there was a weather decimated fixture list of just four games in League One this afternoon.

Yeovil boss Gary Johnson gave a rare start to rugged centre half Richard Hinds who came in for the suspended Dan Burn with Gavin Williams moving to left midfield and James Hayter coming off the bench to line up alongside Paddy Madden up front.

It was the Latics who went ahead in the third minute when Baxter, signed on a four month deal from Premier League side Everton, headed home his ninth goal in twenty games as an Oldham player from a right wing cross. It led only to increase confidence in the visitors and Cristian Montano fired in a rasping shot that whistled past the angle of crossbar and post.

Jean-Yves M’Voto then volleyed over but finally Yeovil woke up and started creating chances of their own. Upson went close with a shot that deflected off a defender and spun over the bar and Byron Webster back-headed a Williams free kick just over.

Yeovil thought they had levelled on 28 minutes but the goal was ruled out for offside. Jamie McAllister’s free kick was nodded on by Hinds to Madden who headed home from an acute angle but the linesman’s flag was raised on the Carlisle frontman for being slightly offside.

After Hayter, Upson and McAllister all had chances, the Glovers finally levelled on 37 minutes. A corner was cleared to Upson and his little burst into the danger area was halted by a trip by M’Voto, referee Gibbs pointing immediately to the spot. Gavin Williams smashed the resulting penalty home despite keeper Dean Bouzanis guessing the right way.

With thirty seconds to go, Yeovil took the lead with what will surely be a contender for “Goal of the Decade”, let alone “Goal of the Season”. Stech threw the ball out to Williams who had to acrobatically control the ball to keep it in on the halfway line. He then advanced with the ball and beat two retreating Latics defenders before unleashing an unstoppable drive high into the top left hand corner of the goal. 

Within a minute, it was nearly advantage Oldham again when Stech had to produce a stunning save to deny Baxter a second with a long range curling effort. Play then switched to the other end when Madden broke, slid the ball to Williams who shot at Bouzanis with Upson’s follow up also blocked.

Upson and Baxter exchanged chances early in the second period as the game picked up where it had left off. Stech then denied Baxter’s audacious forty yard attempt while Joe Edwards volleyed over. The game regularly went from one attack to another with little time for breath in between.

Having brought Dominic Blizzard on for Sam Foley in the first half, Johnson introduced a second sub with Reuben Reid replacing Gavin Williams, the Welshman receiving a standing ovation for his troubles. Soon after, Paul Dickov brought on Robbie Simpson up front to strengthen his attack but it was an all too short afternoon for the former Huddersfield striker.

On 73 minutes, the frontman went in late to win a 50/50 ball with keeper Marek Stech, getting to the ball first but Richard Hinds chased back to clear the loose ball off the line.Yeovil then broke and Upson played the ball through to James Hayter and the striker finished coolly for his twelfth career goal against Oldham, his most prolific opposition. 

Simpson then found himself one-on-one with Stech and lunged in studs up again on the keeper, referee Gibbs deeming this challenge worthy of a straight red card much to the anger of the visiting Latics in the stand and on the pitch. Baxter then was lucky to escape a yellow card when he went down in the box claiming a penalty but his claim was waved away by Gibbs. 

Within four minutes though, it was game, set and match Yeovil as Madden chased down a back pass, forcing the keeper to fluff his clearance. The Carlisle striker fired home into an empty net for his seventh of the season in a Yeovil shirt. Even then, the hosts could have made it five but Edwards volleyed wide and Reid and Hayter also went close.