In fact, Danny Wilson's team earned a League One double over Oldham last season, their 1-0 victory at Boundary Park one of their rare away successes.
Ben Clark (right) is back in full training now and could make a welcome return to the suad with a place on the bnch, but midfielder Willia Boland is still out with his knee ligament injury.
The good news is that Michael Nelson and Richie Jones are both expected to be fit after passing fitness tests and coming through last weekend's 90 minutes unscathed.
Oldham are unbeaten this season, one of their wins coming at Leeds - a result which gave an early indication that they are going to be a team to watch over the next few months. They are obviously a different proposition to last season, and the match will be a supreme test for Pools.
In fact, it's the first of three difficult games in eight days - they go to Leeds on Tuesday in the third round of the Carling Cup, and that's followed by a League One trip the following weekend to title favourites Leicester, who showed what they are capable of in their Johnstone's paints win at Pools a couple of weeks ago.
If Pools can come through these three games with a few points (six would be brill, foul cushty, three canny, two not bad, one poor and nowt rubbish) and a place in the fourth round of the Carling Cup, there would be every reason for broad smiles at the Vic.

NICKNAME NOTE - Oldham are, of course, known as the Latics, just like Wigan and Charlton. We think it's an abbreviation of Athletic, but it sounds a bit daft to us, like.

Kyle - Danny Wilson has told BBC Tees (aka BBC Bore-o) that he is not in the market for Coventry's former Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle. Phew.

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