Brian Talbot conducted his post-match analysis of Saturday's FA Cup third-round victory leaning against a stair rail in the main stand, with his brightly polished black shoes nonchalantly crossed. Kevin Keegan's thoughts were prefaced by a minion's instruction that only matters pertaining to the match would be discussed.

And whereas the Oldham manager looked as though he might float off into a Fred Astaire routine any minute, and tap-dance his way up the steps into footballing heaven, Keegan's face had the pallor of those last post-match days with Newcastle and England. Somewhere in the distance Del Shannon's Runaway could be heard.

Keegan is currently a lame-duck manager, having intimated last year that he would leave Manchester City at the end of the 2005-06 season. On Saturday his team could barely raise a quack.

Robbie Fowler's absence aside, and discounting Nicolas Anelka, this was City's strongest team, while they were up against an Oldham side without their captain, Dean Holden, and Chris Killen, their top scorer - both injured.

City have struggled all season against the English Premiership's less accomplished teams, while often playing above themselves against title contenders. Talbot was impressed by what he saw in the 1-1 draw at Highbury a week earlier.

But what he must also have noted was that, Sean Wright-Phillips apart, Keegan's team is bereft of individuals who can do radical damage, particularly in midfield.

Consequently, when City go behind they rarely manage to turn a match around. Paul Bosvelt and Joey Barton could not be faulted for their work-rate, but neither is a flair player. Oldham's disciplined midfield made them appear ordinary and one-dimensional.

There was always the possibility that Wright-Phillips might audaciously produce the unstoppable, but generally Oldham's midfield and defence ushered City's ace as far out to the right-hand periphery as they could. And when he did dart clear, goalkeeper Les Pogliacomi was in the form of his life.

Intimations of an upset came early when David James lost the ball at a corner, although he was blameless, unlike the rest of his defence, when Scott Vernon struck the decisive goal in the 14th minute.

A central free-kick by Neil Kilkenny was hit diagonally left where David Eyres, 40 years young, returned the ball across the face of the goal to where Vernon, unmarked, could hardly miss - a move of such outrageous simplicity that Keegan was at a loss to explain the ineptitude of the defending.

Ball watching, they call it.

Oldham might have settled their own nerves near the beginning of the second half. A gale-force gust held the ball up, causing James to hesitate and find himself in no-man's land only for Kevin Betsy to slightly miscalculate the lob.

Thereafter City laid siege, but Will Haining and Danny Hall were monolithic, and Pogliacomi inspired. Keegan's final throw, bringing on Steve McManaman and Willo Flood for Bradley Wright-Philiips and Antoine Sibierski, did nothing other than add confusion to City's ever more hectic attacks.