Joe Royle will want to get off to the perfect start in his second spell in charge against Tranmere.

Supple set for Latics debut while Shuker out for visitors

New Oldham manager Joe Royle will be hoping to get off to the perfect start in his second spell in charge of the Latics with a win at home to Tranmere. The former Everton boss famously led the Latics to the Premier League in the early 90s and returns with the objective of guiding the club into the League One play-offs. The club will be looking to bounce back from the 6-2 defeat at high flying MK Dons last weekend, a result which ultimately cost ex-boss John Sheridan his job. Tranmere are just one point ahead of their hosts in seventh place and are just two points off the top six.

Oldham team news

Goalkeeper Shane Supple has joined the club on-loan from Ipswich and is likely to slot straight in the side, while Ian Westlake has moved from Cheltenham. Supple's arrival coincides with Jan Budtz going back to his parent club Hartlepool and the long-term absence of regular stopper Mark Crossley (back). Crossley's understudy Greg Fleming will be given as long as possible to recover from a leg injury but Supple is still expected to start. Winger Chris Taylor is likely to feature despite taking a knock to his calf in the defeat to MK Dons, while Sean Gregan has declared himself fit after an accidental clash of heads in training. Centre-half Reuben Hazell serves the second of a two-game suspension with Stefan Stam set to continue in his place.

Tranmere team news

Midfielder Chris Shuker will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his broken arm. The 26-year-old suffered the injury in a freak accident at home last week and required surgery to pin the bone back in place. Youngsters Danny Mayor and Terry Gornell both came off injured during Saturday's 3-1 home win over Huddersfield. They missed the 1-0 midweek defeat at Cheltenham and look set to remain sidelined along with striker Chris Greenacre. Greenacre remains absent due to a foot problem but he is stepping up his recovery programme and could soon be back in contention. Fellow frontman Craig Curran returned from injury to make his first appearance since September in Tuesday's defeat at Whaddon Road.