Miskelly's blunder grounds Eyres force

Oldham Athletic 1 Queen's Park Rangers 1

In addition to his Uefa coaching badge, Iain Dowie happens to possess a Masters degree in aeronautic mechanical engineering. The Oldham manager started his working life as a designer for British Aerospace but the professional equation confronting him now is hardly rocket science. His team need to win at Loftus Road on Wednesday night if they are to extend their Second Division promotion push to the play-off final at Cardiff on 25 May.

It is a task far from beyond the Latics. They have been beaten just twice on their travels this season, a record only matched in England's four professional divisions by Wigan Athletic. Dowie, though, ought to have been taking his team to Shepherd's Bush – where he played and coached for Queen's Park Rangers – with a lead from the home leg of their semi-final. A glaring error by Dave Miskelly cost them victory at Boundary Park yesterday.

Never mind the complexities of aeronautics, the Northern Ireland Under-21 international failed to show a grasp of basic goalkeeping trigonometry in allowing a cross from deep on the left by Tommy Williams to drift over his head two minutes into the second half. His mistake presented Richard Langley with a gift of an equaliser after David Eyres had shot Oldham into the lead.

Langley was later sent off for two bookable offences in the space of a minute, though that was of little consolation to Dowie. "It was a terrible goal to concede," he said. "But we're still buoyant. We've swum the channel this season."

Indeed they have. Dowie has already guided his team to a famous victory on one of his old stamping grounds, a 1-0 Worthington Cup win at West Ham in November. He has worked wonders in his first managerial season, getting Oldham in the promotion frame while fighting to overcome the club's £2m-plus debts, having to lay off 10 of his playing staff in the process. The 12,152 attendance yesterday will have helped boost the Boundary Park coffers but it was the 2,739 contingent from London who had most to enjoy in the opening quarter.

Paul Furlong sent a header thudding narrowly wide after just two minutes and some jittery handling by Miskelly, a stand-in for the injured Les Pogliacomi, had nerves jangling in the home ranks.

It took 25 minutes for Oldham to settle but they took the lead after 28, courtesy of Eyres. The 39-year-old winger drilled home a left-foot free-kick from the right edge of the Rangers area.

Having seen his side fight so hard to get into the driving seat, it must have galled Dowie to watch them stall so haplessly two minutes after the interval. To their credit, Oldham regained their momentum after Miskelly's blunder, but Paul Murray, a former QPR midfielder, spurned their best two chances.

Rangers clung on for the draw, defending furiously after Langley was dismissed by Steve Bennett with 10 minutes remaining, the right-winger having been booked for a dive and then for back-heading Eyres in the face. Ian Holloway was not a happy man. "Richard has let us down," the Rangers manager said. "He just lost it and there's no excuse for that."

Oldham Athletic 1
Eyres 28

Queen's Park Rangers 1
Langley 47

Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 12,152