Manager John Sheridan heaped praise on the 193 Oldham Athletic supporters at Roots Hall last night as they witness Latics take all three points against Southend United.
Latics fans made the 500-mile round trip to Roots Hall last night and were rewarded with a 0-1 victory courtesy of Curtis Main’s 66th minute strike.
The manager, who took over in January, reserved a special mention to the supporters for their tremendous support.
He said: “There weren’t loads of our supporters but I’m so chuffed for them for coming all this way and you could see how delighted I was with the result and it’s a big step for us.”
Speaking about the game itself, Sheridan admitted his side were not at their best but could not fault their work ethic.
“They are a strong outfit and only going for the play offs a couple of weeks ago but I thought second half we looked really lively on the break.
"We probably had more opportunities to score more goals but it was a great performance. The work ethic from the players has been tremendous since I’ve come in and it’s down to them.
"We’ve done well, even though we’ve not been playing well. Tonight we got away with one or two little things but it’s a great result against a tough team.
“We came for three points and that’s what we got so I’m pleased."
That result took Latics six points clear of the relegation places with three games to play, but the manager is still cautious of teams around him.
“The three points is a massive plus for us, put it that way, but we are not mathematically safe,” he explained.
“It puts us in a great position but there is still three games to go and we can still be caught.
“We make ground and we have gained points on other teams so other teams have got to win two or three games to catch us and there is not long left so it’s a great response from the players."
Watch the full interview on Latics PlayerHD.