Frank Rothwell held a tin foil FA Cup aloft and bounced along with the 2,000-plus other jubilant Oldham Athletic supporters who filled the away end at Tranmere Rovers.

Latics were on their way to the second round of domestic football's most famous competition for the first time in four years. And what a long way they have come in that time.

The season after last progressing to this stage, Oldham were on their way out of the Football League; Prenton Park the destination for their final away game after suffered the ignominy of becoming the first former Premier League team to drop out of English football's 92.

That day around 1,000 Oldham fans, with the majority dressed in black, went to mourn.

The demise of their beloved club amid a succession of managers and owners and mounting debts left them fearing for the future.

There have been many moments since the Rothwell family's takeover that summer that have signalled the rebirth of the club, but nothing quite like this cup comeback. This topped the lot.

Frank Rothwell watched the game with the travelling Latics fansFrank Rothwell watched the game with the travelling Latics fans (Image: Thomas Lee Stacey)

Even when star man Manny Monthe was among a trio ruled out by sickness at the 11th hour; even when Latics went behind, with Connor Jennings putting League Two Tranmere ahead early with his 50th goal for the club, Latics never looked lacking against League Two opposition; even when debutant Sam Clucas had what looked to be a perfectly good goal direct from a corner ruled out, they kept their heads and composure, and kept going, buoyed by a belief that has grown with every result this season.

Having been left out of the previous matchday squad James Norwood was picked to start against his former club, while top scorer Mike Fondop rested a tweaked hamstring on the bench.

Manager Micky Mellon revealed afterwards how he had romanticised about the striker's return on the eve of the game. The build-up play to him marking the occasion with a goal was pure poetry. Josh Lundstram broke away down the right and slipped a perfectly weight pass in front of Clucas, who cleverly flicked it back to Norwood to finish first time across Luke McGee to send the teams in level at the break.

Latics led just after the hour, with Jesurun Uchegbulam making his mark with a deflected finish over the keeper within three minutes of replacing Clucas to bring some extra energy from the bench.

And when Mellon's men were unable to make the scoreline as comfortable as they looked capable of, Reagan Ogle was the brick wall at the back to secure a cracking cup win.

Manager Mellon had wanted to use the game as barometer to see how his promotion chasing team measured up in a contest with a club competing where they hope to be next season.

And he saw encouraging signs.

Jesurun Uchegbulam scored the winnerJesurun Uchegbulam scored the winner (Image: Thomas Lee Stacey)

"Last year we went to Newport and I was really flat about that because it was a measurement of where we were at and we just weren't the Oldham that I wanted us to become.

"Today is definitely moving towards the Oldham that we need to see," he smiled.

"The Oldham supporters and the owners deserve days like this. This is why we get brought in, to try to make sure that we work hard and give them moments like this."

Reflecting on the previous meeting between the two clubs on Merseyside, Mellon reflected: "I was in the other dugout. It was sad to see.

"Oldham needs more of moments like this to climb back to where it should be, and we'll work hard and to try to keep delivering them."

Fireworks popped all around Prenton Park once darkness had fallen.

It is up to Latics to show that this game, this comeback, this triumph over the adversity of missing key players, and this scoreline is one that lights the blue touch paper for them to go off like a rocket for the rest of this season, and helps propel the club back to where it belongs.