A fire at the Blue Dragon chip shop outside Goodison Park on Saturday meant two things: kick-off was delayed by half an hour and the Oldham Athletic players had to wait a little longer for their celebratory dinner. They each had been promised a £75 win bonus and free fish and chips if they beat Everton.

Not that stopping for food on the way home instead mattered much. Victory against opponents ranked 50 places higher in the football pyramid and their name in the draw for the fourth round today was tastier than anything they and John Sheridan, their bright young manager, could throw down their necks.

David Moyes was criticised for fielding a supposedly weakened team, but, other than resting Phil Neville, the captain, and Tim Howard, the goalkeeper – he may have wished he had not done so, given the contribution of Stefan Wessels – and starting with Joleon Lescott and Yakubu Ayegbeni on the substitutes’ bench, this was pretty much the strongest side the Everton manager could field.

Joseph Yobo, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman and Mikel Arteta were unavailable because of injury or suspension and, if anything, Moyes could have been forgiven for resting one or two more, with a Carling Cup semi-final, first-leg tie away to Chelsea to contest tomorrow. That Oldham had half a team missing rendered all talk about team selection redundant anyway.

Everton, who played the final 26 minutes with four strikers, should have been strong enough to have won, but they were picked off by a team who, having rode their luck on a couple of occasions, wanted it more.

The match might have taken a different turn had James Vaughan, the 19-year-old Everton striker, not been denied by Mark Crossley, a man twice his age, with 45 seconds on the clock. But, after overcoming their initial nerves, Oldham settled and, but for one clearance off the line from a shot by James McFadden and Yakubu hitting a post in the final seconds, Crossley was seldom tested.

Everton had the lion’s share of possession in the second half as they sought to equalise Gary McDonald’s goal on the cusp of half-time, but Oldham, as is probably to be expected from a team managed by an accomplished former midfield player, passed the ball well while defending with courage and composure. No wonder they had won their previous six away matches in Coca-Cola League One, a run that included a thumping 3-1 victory away to Leeds on New Year’s Day.

Reuben Hazell, once of Tranmere Rovers, excelled in central defence, Kelvin Lomax, making his first appearance since returning from a loan spell at Rochdale in November, equally so, while Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala, who is no stranger to causing upsets after helping to dump Tottenham Hotspur out of the Carling Cup while at Grimsby Town two seasons ago, and Deane Smalley, still only 19, were outstanding in midfield.

It was perhaps fitting, though, that Sheridan’s first signing should score the decisive goal. Receiving a neat pass from Lomax, McDonald turned and looped a 25-yard, left-foot shot over the head of Wessels. The flight of the ball seemed to catch the German unawares, but, as Moyes conceded, the goalkeeper, who looked jittery all afternoon, should have done better.

But Sheridan had nothing but praise for his goalscorer. “I’ve been giving him a lot of stick for kicking the ball too much with his left foot, as he’s naturally right-footed, but he can have a go at me today for a change, given the way he’s hit that one,” he said. “He’s been in and out of the team this season, but he’s got on with his job and hasn’t moaned once.”

Sheridan was a losing Cup finalist with Sheffield Wednesday in 1993, so it was no surprise to hear him express his anger at the remarks of Dave Kitson, the Reading forward, who claimed that he could “not care less” about the competition.

“I totally disagree with what he said,” Sheridan said. “I’m sure if he got to the quarter-finals or something, he wouldn’t say the same thing. I’ve loved the FA Cup even before I played. I was lucky enough to get to the final – it’s one of the best occasions you’ll ever get as a footballer, so, for me, his comments showed a lack of respect for the competition.”

For Everton. tomorrow’s match against Chelsea should at least provide an opportunity to exorcise some of those demons, although there was no disguising how much this loss hurt. Oldham, though, have their sights on another tasty tie.

Everton (4-4-2) S Wessels 4 A Hibbert 5 P Jagielka 6 A Stubbs 6 L Baines 6 S Pienaar 6 L Carsley 5 T Gravesen 3 J McFadden 7 A Johnson 5 J Vaughan 4. Substitutes V Anichebe 5 (for Gravesen, 64min),Yakubu Ayegbeni 5 (for Vaughan, 64), J Lescott (for Baines, 74) Not used J Ruddy, Anderson.

Oldham Athletic (4-4-2) M Crossley 8 N Eardley 7 R Hazell 9 S Stam 8 K Lomax 8 D Smalley 8 G McDonald 8 J-P K Kalala 8 M Allott 7 L Hughes 6 C Davies 8. Substitutes J Thompson (for Lomax, 84min) Not used L Pogliacomi, M Wolfenden, L Alessandra, P Black.

Referee U Rennie
Attendance 33,086

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