Mellon Ahead Of Trip To Bromley

Manager Micky Mellon gave his thoughts ahead of the midweek visit to Bromley.

Latics head to Hayes Lane on the back of a victory against Crawley on Saturday, Jack Stevens scoring twice to secure the points.

Bromley currently sit top of the Sky Bet League Two table but Mellon says recent wins will give his players good confidence going into the game.

He said: "We were very pleased with the win on Saturday. It’s another important step forward for us as a team and it continues a run of performances that we’re really encouraged by.

“There’s been a good consistency about us lately and the clinical edge we’ve shown in front of goal has been a big reason why we’ve managed to put three wins together.

“We mustn’t lose sight of the fact that this is our first season back in the EFL. A lot of these players were playing in the National League last year, so to be producing results and performances like we did against Crawley is a real credit to them."

“I thought we started the game very well. There was a real confidence and purpose about us from the first whistle. In truth, we probably should have been a couple of goals up before we eventually took the lead. That’s the only frustration, because our overall play deserved that cushion a bit earlier.

“For large spells we were in control. Even though the margin could perhaps have been greater, what pleased me most was how we managed the game at key moments. We’re heading into a really busy period with seven games in a month, so being able to close a match out properly is vital.

“The contribution from the substitutes was also important. When you’re going into a demanding schedule, you need everyone ready to step in and make an impact. The lads who came on helped us see the game through and reinforced that control, and that’s exactly what you want as a manager.

“We know the standards we have to set ourselves. The challenge now is to keep hitting those standards consistently over the remaining games and see where it takes us.”

Bromley sit top of the table by a margin of four points from second-placed Cambridge after a current unbeaten run of 16 games.

“Bromley are a very good side and they’ve shown that consistently throughout the season,” Mellon added. “In this division, consistency is what separates the teams, and they’ve certainly demonstrated that.

“They’re well organised, they’ve got players who understand each other’s games inside out and they’ve built a strong identity over the last few years. You can see that cohesion in the way they play. They’re a capable and competitive team, and they’ve backed that up with their results.

“It’s a challenge we need to embrace. We know Bromley well from recent seasons and there’s a mutual understanding there. We had a good result against them earlier in the campaign, but that won’t count for anything when we step onto the pitch.

“We’ll go there focused, confident and determined. We’re in good form and we want to keep that momentum going. It’s about delivering another disciplined, committed performance and seeing if we can come away with a positive result.”

This fixture marks the start of a busy March which will see Latics play seven games and Mellon wants to use it to end the season strongly.

“We’ve worked ourselves into a strong position with this run of form and that gives the players belief. There’s no reason for us to hold back now, we can really attack these final games and see what we’re capable of.

“There will be twists and turns between now and the end of the season, that’s the nature of football. Our job is to take care of our own business. We have to stay disciplined, stay organised, and be clinical when the chances come our way.

“If we can maintain that balance, being solid at the back, taking opportunities at the other end and keeping clean sheets, then there’s no reason we can’t put together another strong run.

“It’s now about embracing the challenge, enjoying the competition and seeing if we can make the most of these last few months.”