Micky Mellon wants to see the best version of his team during tonight’s game against Barnet.
The fixture, which is being broadcast live on TNT Sports, won’t be easy for Latics, against a side who are second in the table, although they have lost their last two league games.
It is the second of successive long trips down south and Mellon's side come into the game looking to build on the weekend win at Woking.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for us to go and test ourselves against a team who are currently second in the table," he said.
“We want to put the best version of ourselves out there, obviously it’s on television too which adds a bit extra to it.
“They’re having a very good season and possess some decent players, and I think we’ll learn a lot about ourselves tonight, but it’s a great chance for the boys to mark our progress, and see where we’re at.
“We also want to be consistent, there’s no point putting in a good performance one week, if you don’t follow it up the next. Consistency is key for us as we look forward.
“This league is unpredictable, and awe know there isn't much between teams in many fixtures, so if we go there and give a good account of ourselves, then we have every opportunity of getting something out of the game.
“We want to be in that top seven, at the very least, and to do that you need to take points off the teams who are currently in there, and that’s fully what we intend to do.
“An Oldham team should go into each and every fixture expecting that they can win the game."
It’s a busy week for the Scotsman’s side, with this evening’s game being sandwiched between a trip to Woking and home game against Ebbsfleet.
The manager knows from experience how relentless the fixture schedule can be in this league, and reiterated that it’s important to manage the players during such periods.
“We’re in the middle of a busy period so we’ve taken a step back, just to let the lads recharge a bit, but going into this game we’ll be back on it, looking to hit the levels that we want to hit," he added.
“We want intensity, and it’s all about doing that on the night.
“We want it to be a habit for the players, they know what we expect, they know what we demand.
“The lads have recovered well from Saturday, and are in a good position for the game.
“Two trips down south within a matter of days is never the easiest thing, but the extra day makes it a tad easier and will allow us to do more of what we want to do.
Mellon has a few injuries to contend with in recent weeks, but will be boosted by the return of captain Liam Hogan, who had to sit out Saturday’s game against Woking, as he served a one-match ban for his accumulation of yellow cards.
Devarn Green also featured for the first time since October, having missed out games against Newport and Eastleigh with a hamstring injury.
“Hogan is back from his suspension and Hallam Hope trained on Tuesday.
“Devarn is back, it was obviously too early for him to start on Saturday, but he was able to come on for half an hour, but I think he did well.
“Brennan [Dickenson] has pulled a muscle but is making good progress and will probably be back next week, as will Shaun [Hobson]. Reidy [Alex Reid] will be a bit longer than those.”
