AFC Darwen leapt above mid-table rivals Oldham in to 11th place thanks to two second half goals from Steve Lee and Lee Slater.

The first half was a forgettable affair with both sides only managing three goalbound efforts between them – none of which troubled either goalkeeper.

But Darwen went ahead within three minutes of the restart, when Gary Brown cut down the right and into the area, laying on a perfect ball for the unmarked Lee, who buried it in the top corner.

Oldham started to put some attacking moves together and should have equalised late on when Andrew Kremer found himself behind the visitors’ defence with only the keeper to beat. But Adam Chester stuck out a leg to somehow divert the shot to safety.

But as the home side pushed forward looking for an equaliser, gaps appeared in their defence which Slater exploited when he beat the offside trap to score a second in injury time.