Oldham Athletic manager Frankie Bunn is pleased with the togetherness his side is showing ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Latics were held at Boundary Park by Championship side Nottingham Forest who scored in the last three minutes of the game to make it 2-2.
Oldham fell behind in the opening three minutes before a spirited comeback turned the game around thanks to second half goals from a trialist and young defender George Edmundson.
Speaking to iFollow Latics after the match, manager Frankie Bunn was taking positives from the performance.
“It wasn’t bad,” he said.
“Again it’s another step to where we want to be, we’re not the finished article yet but we are working and striving to get there and I think there were little glimpses of that, certainly in the second half where it was just starting to come together.
“We were a bit fearful in the first half, not really committing to what we wanted to do but we spoke at half time and to be fair to the boys they dug in, they showed a bit of grit and determination and got themselves back in the game.”
In the first half, midfielder Dan Gardner was forced off after a slight knock but the manager hopes it shouldn’t be anything to keep him on the sidelines for too long.
“He was just feeling his groin,” explained Bunn.
“Hopefully it’s not too serious but again we’ve lost [Rob] Hunt and [Cameron] Dummigan so we’re sort of bare bones and we were tired towards the end, then they go and bring on about eight players so that confounded the issue but like I said it’s another step in the right direction.”
The result means Latics are unbeaten in pre-season so far with wins coming against Ashton United 1-3, Curzon Ashton 0-2, FC United of Manchester 0-2 and yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Forest.
With less than two weeks until the new campaign kicks off Bunn was please with the togetherness that his side have been showing and he believes it will be key for the upcoming season.
“You can see that there’s a bit of spirit there,” he commented.
“For both goals we scored everyone was there which was nice to see and you can just see that spirit and togetherness just forming now.
“We’re learning about this side everyday in training and everyday in and around the ground socially with them."
"I think things are improving, we have seen a difference and we’ve just got to keep that momentum going now.”
It was the first match for Bunn and his assistant Andy Rhodes on the touchline at Boundary Park and it was a proud moment for the two former Latics players.
“For Andy and myself, with our love of the club, it means a lot to us,” Bunn said.
“We want to succeed and we want the players to succeed but we need the help from the supporters and I just hope that they’re a little bit patient with us and they come back to us.”
Next up Bunn’s team face a tough pre-season test against La Liga side Girona in a behind doors match on Tuesday, July 24.
You can next watch Latics in action at Boundary Park when they take on Preston North End in the final pre-season game before the new campaign kicks off. For ticket details please click this link.