Between Gareth Barber's 13th minute opener and Damian Munro's 77th minute consolation effort, Oldham huffed and puffed while Hornets played some tidy football around them and completely bossed them game.

Hornets took an early lead from a Lee Birdseye penalty, but it was four punitively consecutive penalties within 10 metres of Hornets' line that gave Oldham the platform for Goddard to send in Barber. The next penalty against Hornets sawe Phil Cantillon sin-binned for making an arse of himself in the tackle - and it provided the catalyst to spark Hornets into life.

Tommy Hodgkinson - who battered and bludgeoned the Oldham defence all afternoon - shrugged off several tacklers to score from close range on the quarter mark; then a returning Cantillon got on the end of an exquisite chip and pass from Lee Birseye - John Braddish providing the final pass to give him a run-in from 30 metres.

Half time 14-4 and only one side playing any real football of note.

Hornets started the second half with a bang. Radney Bowker ghosting through a flailing defence after only a minute - his inch-perfect pass finding Andy Gorski at speed; Gorski dummying and stepping a flapping Goddard to score. A repeat performance ten minutes later saw Gorski lose the ball as he stretched over the line.

The introduction of Sam Butterworth had Oldham in all sorts of trouble. With virtually his first touch of the ball, he clinically bisected the Oldham line and left a trail of defenders in his wake. With options either side - and Goddard clenching his buttocks to avoid another embarrassment - Sam shipped the ball right to Phil Cantillon who dropped the pass with the line at his mercy.

As Hornets piled forward, Darren Robinson was held on his back over the line. From the resulting restart, Sam Butterworth jinked through traffic to score.

As Tommy Hodgkinson was announced as the sponsors' man of the match, he celebrated by attempting an audacious drop goal that got all of a metre off the ground. Not many in the Wilbutts Lane stand joined in the laughing.

With the clock ticking down, Oldham's Farrimond capitalised on the slippery conditions; his kick forcing new boy Mike Grady to turn on the wet surface; Munro dived in to touch down as the Wilbutts Lane stand emptied.

As Andy Gorski hoisted the Law Cup in front of the celebrating Hornets fans, both coaches would have had contrasting thoughts.

Whilst his side isn't short of willing graft, Gary Mercer will be looking to instil that vital footballing spark that can make or break a side's season.

Bobbie Goulding, though, is undoubtedly pleased that the nucleus of last year's side provided a settled platform for the new faces to fit effectively into his gameplan. Indeed, at this rate (and with two more warm-up games to come) Hornets should hit the National Cup running and reasonably well tuned.

More Goulding miracles to come? Who'd bet against it.