Chesterfield will 'probably' win the National League title, admits Oldham Athletic boss David Unsworth

The Spireites and the Latics are the two favourites to top the division so the admission from Unsworth is surprising.

Speaking to TNT Sports after Saturday’s 1-1 draw between the two sides, Unsworth said: "I think it shows that we can compete with the best. Make no mistake about it, Chesterfield are the best team in the league and probably will win the league. We are early days but I think that statement is probably true.”

Unsworth’s counter-attack style of football came under-fire from some Oldham fans in the away end but the Latics boss defended his approach as James Norwood scored in the 95th minute to pinch a point.

In a club interview, he said: “I think it is what our players deserved – I thought we were brilliant. I am thrilled for them.

"A draw is a really fair result but we have had the best opportunities – make no mistake about that.

“Let me tell you something now, if you open up too soon against Chesterfield, they carve you open and it is a basketball game. And I don’t think we are in a place yet, we will be, where we can open yet and play like that against a really, really good team which has been in practice now for a number of years.

"When you come to places like this, if you open up, you get battered. You get absolutely battered and outplayed and I didn’t want that. The game-plan was perfect.

"I understand everyone’s frustration, I get it, but they have also got to be a bit of realism of where we are at. We are at the start of our journey and they (Chesterfield) are probably a year, 18 months ahead of us in terms of when Paul Cook came in.

"We had the best two opportunities in the first-half, it was a perfect away performance in the first-half. We got two great opportunities and they had not carved us open.

"We got done by a set-piece which I am fuming about because we have worked on it this week.”

Unsworth was unhappy with the decision to award Chesterfield a corner, which Ash Palmer scored from.

He said: "The corner, leading up to the goal today, it is a foul on Hogan – it is blatant. So the refereeing display was poor. Really, really poor and it is not acceptable and something has got to be done about it because I can’t keep talking about it. It is boring. But we have to talk about it because Tuesday night it cost us a point and today it has cost us a goal.”

Hundreds of Oldham fans invaded the pitch when Norwood equalised and there were some ugly scenes but, bizarrely, Unsworth said he didn’t see what happened.

He added: “I couldn’t really see – there was a melee here (on the sideline) as well. Our fans are overjoyed to have scored and rescued a point but I don’t think it is right for me to comment on that right at this moment because I have not seen what has gone on.”