Oldham Athletic manager Richie Wellens is treating the next two games as cup finals.
Latics travel to Spotland on Tuesday to take on Rochdale where a win would lift Wellens’ side four points above the relegation zone.
Meanwhile on Saturday the team travel down south to take on AFC Wimbledon who are currently three points above Athletic.
Ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Rochdale manage Richie Wellens is remaining upbeat and confident.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“It’s a local derby, the tempo is going to be really high and I expect us to take a lot of fans there.
“The players are working as hard as they possibly can, they’re showing everything and they’re showing character. At the minute, we’re not getting that little bit of luck.
“If we perform as we are at the minute then I’m looking forward to it, because we’ll get our chances.”
“We’ll go there with our spirits high even though we conceded a last minute equaliser on Saturday, and we’ll do our very best to win the game.”
A win would see Latics extend the gap between themselves and Rochdale, who sit in the relegation zone to four points.
“For me it’s like a cup final,” said Wellens.
“If you win, you take a massive step towards what you want to achieve. If you lose then obviously it’s a massive dent.
“We’ve got a really important game coming after that at Wimbledon, so for me the two games are going to be cup finals.
“Just leave everything on the pitch. Go for the win. If we win both of those two games then it will put us in really good stead.”
Oldham Athletic take on Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena on Tuesday, April 17, 7:45pm kick off.