Ex-Leeds United duo among favourites for vacancy at former Premier League club after back-to-back wins

Former Leeds United first-team coach Steve Thompson is the favourite to be appointed as the permanent manager of National League side Oldham Athletic.

The former Bolton Wanderers, Leicester City and Rotherham United player took charge on an interim basis following the sacking of David Unsworth.

Since then he has guided Oldham to a 2-0 win over York City and on Saturday clinched a 4-0 success over Oxford City to move the Latics up to 13th after they had won just one of their opening nine games.

Ahead of the win over the Hoops, Thompson recruited former Leeds manager Neil Redfearn as a first-team coach. Thompson was part of Redfearn’s coaching staff during his spell with Leeds between November 2014 and May 2015.

After two wins from two, Thompson is the 6/4 favourite to be named next permanent manager at Oldham with Redfearn 4/1 to land the role.

Speaking of his decision to bring Redfearn on board at Oldham, Thompson said before the win over Oxford City: “I’m really pleased to have Neil on board, he’s an exceptional coach and is someone I’ve known and trusted throughout my career.

“I came through the ranks at Bolton with Redders, we were both apprentices and made our debuts together so I’ve known him a long time. He is very well-respected already at Oldham and as a coach he is a big asset for both myself and the club.

“We were manager and assistant at Leeds and we’ve always kept in touch. He knows how to get the best out of players and I’m delighted to have him alongside Paul Murray and Steve Collis.”

Oldham were one of the founding members of the Premier League but have fallen on hard times in recent years and were relegated from the Football League in 2022. They became the first former Premier League side to drop into non-league since the competition’s formation.

Redfearn spent a number of years at Leeds in a variety of roles. He first joined as coach of the Under-18s side in January 2009 before moving up to the Under-21s, then called the reserves, in December 2010. Before his permanent appointment, he had three caretaker spells in charge which came after the respective departures of Simon Grayson, Neil Warnock and Dave Hockaday.