the club and this coincided with the club's upturn in fortunes under manager Joe Royle. In 1987, the club reached the play-offs and in 1989–90 the club went through what is regarded as one of the club's greatest ever seasons, reaching the League Cup Final and the semi-final of the FA Cup, and the club claimed major upsets in defeating the likes of Arsenal, Southampton, Everton and Aston Villa. Critics felt that the pitch gave the club an advantage, but in 1991 Royle responded to this. When Portsmouth manager Frank Burrows declared that Oldham could not play away from home, Royle stuck the article to the dressing room door and the team responded with a 4–1 victory. At the end of the 1990–91 season the club secured promotion to the top flight, the final match on the plastic pitch was probably one of the most memorable games played at the ground when Latics, in order to win the old Second Division, had to beat Sheffield Wednesday and rely on West Ham losing. After 60 minutes of the game, Sheffield Wednesday were 2–0 up, but Ian Marshall pulled a goal back, then Paul Bernard equalised with less than ten minutes to play. By this point, West Ham were losing. In time added on, Andy Barlow went down in the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Neil Redfearn stepped up to convert it and a mass pitch invasion followed, as it had been confirmed that West Ham had lost 2–1 at home to Notts County. In gaining promotion to the top flight, Oldham Athletic were forced to have the plastic pitch removed because of league rules. They stayed in the top division for three seasons (1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94) before being relegated, and after three disappointing seasons in the second tier were relegated again in 1997. They remained in the third division, which was later called League One, until they were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season. Records Boundary Park is anecdotally known as being the coldest ground in the Football League, earning the nickname coined by Joe Royle, Ice Station Zebra. It is also the second-highest stadium, at 526 feet (155m) above sea level, of any Premier League or Football League club after the Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion, 552 feet (168m). Redevelopment There were plans in the late 1990s for a move to a new 20,000