Their supporters may have been delayed by a giant mechanical spider as they passed through Liverpool, but Oldham Athletic’s early charge to the top of the Coca-Cola League One table gathered momentum with a fourth victory in five matches.

Thousands packed into Liverpool city centre to see La Princesse, the 15-metre high spider, but over the water Reuben Hazell’s 35th-minute goal meant that it was well worth the queue for the Birkenhead tunnel for those from Greater Manchester who missed the opening minutes.

Oldham are showing that League One is not easy to predict and with Mark Crossley, the 39-year-old goalkeeper, Sean Gregan, 34, the defender, and Andy Liddell, 35, the midfield player, they have experience to go with Neal Eardley, 19, and Chris Taylor, 21, the promising young players.

“I don’t think they’d be happy to be called ‘Dad’s army’, so we’ll call them the knowledgeable ones,” Hazell said. “They’ve been there and done it and you need that blend. We’ve got a lot of teenagers and they even it out. I don’t see why we can’t go all the way. It’s early, but our sights are set high.”

John Sheridan, the Oldham manager who was sent to the stand in the first half for arguing with the fourth official over a foul, was not quite as excited. “We’re off to a good start and that’s it,” he said.

Hazell, the 29-year-old former Tranmere Rovers player, headed the only goal from a cross by Eardley ten minutes before half-time and even though Liddell hit the bar after the restart, Tranmere were unfortunate to have a late effort from Steve Jennings ruled out for offside.

Tranmere Rovers (4-4-2): D Coyne – G Edds, B Chorley, R Shotton, A Taylor – C Shuker (sub: I Moore, 66min), S Jennings, A Kay, E Sonko – B Savage, C Curran (sub: C Greenacre, 66). Substitutes not used: J Achterberg, L Waterfall, G O’Callaghan. Booked: Kay, Curran, Chorley, Sonko, Jennings, Moore.

Oldham Athletic (4-4-2): M Crossley – N Eardley, R Hazell, S Gregan, K Lomax – A Liddell (sub: D Smalley, 90), M Allott, D Whitaker, C Taylor – C Davies, L Alessandra (sub: C O’Grady, 78). Substitutes not used: G Fleming, R Byrne, K Maher. Booked: Lomax, Crossley, Gregan, Eardley.

Referee: A Hall. Attendance: 6,802.