French defender Timothee Dieng was delighted to open his scoring account for Oldham Athletic and help the side on to three vital points yesterday.
The 23-year-old equalised on 56 minutes with a deft header over Gillingham goalkeeper Stuart Nelson to get Latics back into the game.
Jonathan Forte converted a James Wilson cross on 73 minutes as Latics ran out 2-1 winners over the Gills to extend their unbeaten run to four games.
Dieng, who has been a consistent performer over the last couple of weeks, explained: “I saw the ball come to me and I just headed it so thank god it went into the net.
“It is a good goal for me and it’s my first goal which I’m very proud of. We have played some good games but haven’t got the win but now we have won, we need to keep going like that.”
Latics have been resolute in defence over the last four games, conceding only one goal and keeping three clean sheets.
“We are stronger because Anthony talks a lot and has a lot of experience so for us, it is better,” he said.
Latics are now only four points from safety in Sky Bet League One, with two games in hand on some teams around them.
Dieng feels the squad are more than capable of getting the required points to stay in this division.
“We have creativity in the team,” he commented. “We should be higher in the table but we just have to stay together and keep going like that and we will move out of the relegation zone.”
It’s another quick turnaround as Latics travel to Peterborough United on Tuesday night looking to extend the club’s unbeaten run to five games.
“It’s a big game and they are a good team but we are not scared,” Dieng said. “If we play like this every week we can win every game."
Watch the full interview on Latics PlayerHD.