There is little that Mark Crossley has not seen during a career that has spanned more than 20 years, but the presentation made to the goalkeeper before this match on Saturday afternoon was a first.

By his admission, Crossley is not one of life’s more athletic souls, but in an interview given a couple of weeks ago, the 39-year-old goalkeeper quipped his “body was a temple”. It may have been a line said in jest, but it was seized upon by a section of Oldham Athletic’s supporters and before the team’s match against Milton Keynes Dons, they handed Crossley a T-shirt with the quote printed on, complete with his face superimposed on the body of a Buddha.

If the gift was meant to inspire Crossley, it did the trick because he excelled during a 2-0 win that kept Oldham top of League One, making a string of excellent stops, including saving a penalty from Mark Wright.

“It was a lovely gesture and I may wear it for the next home game,” Crossley said. “But it was a good afternoon all round. We are delighted with what was a fantastic result.”

Although they had to weather long spells when the visiting team dominated possession and needed Crossley to be in top form, Oldham were full value for a victory that was secured by goals from Lee Hughes and Mark Allott.

“We are doing well at the minute,” Crossley, whose team are three points clear of Carlisle United, said. “We look solid at the back and our fitness levels are good. What we need to be doing now is killing teams off when we go one up.”

Had it not been for the efforts of his opposite number, Willy Guéret, the MK Dons goalkeeper, Oldham could have had things wrapped up long before Allott’s cracked a 25-yard drive past him in stoppage time, but Roberto Di Matteo’s team contributed to an entertaining spectacle.

That, however, was no consolation for the Italian, who left Boundary Park scowling. “I’m not happy,” Di Matteo said. “I don’t want to come away thinking we had control of the game and getting nothing from it.”

John Sheridan, the Oldham manager, praised the opposition. “It was a good game. MK Dons are a very good team and they made it hard for us,” he said.

Oldham Athletic (4-4-2): M Crossley – N Eardley, R Hazell, S Gregan, K Lomax – A Liddell (sub: D Smalley, 90min), M Allott (sub: K Maher, 90), D Whitaker, C Taylor – L Hughes (sub: C O’Grady 86), L Alessandra. Substitutes not used: G Fleming, R Byrne. Booked: Gregan, Taylor.

Milton Keynes Dons (4-4-2): W Guéret – C Regan (sub: J Johnson, 86), S O’Hanlon, J Stirling, D Lewington – M Wright (sub: D McDermott, 46), F Belson, P Leven, S Cummings – A Wilbraham, S Baldock. Substitutes not used: N Abbey, M Llera, A Navarro.

Referee: K Wright (rep: D Mohareb, 60). Attendance: 5,530.