Micky Mellon hails Oldham’s travelling support after victory at Tranmere

Micky Mellon was full of praise for Oldham’s travelling support following his side’s 3-1 win at struggling Tranmere.

Goals from Mike Fondop, Calum Kavanagh and Jack Stevens secured all three points in front of 2,000 Latics fans, and Mellon thanked fans for their role in the victory.

He said: “We had great support and it was a brilliant performance. We’ll have a good journey home and enjoy our weekend now.

“The supporters never let us down. They played their part today and drove us on. They didn’t stop singing all day and you saw the way the players responded to that. They were terrific.”

Oldham were by far the more dominant side at Prenton Park, but Mellon called on his squad to continue to demand more from each other.

“We’ve got good players and I didn’t think we were busy enough in the first half,” he added. “I’ll keep driving performances on because I don’t want to settle for winning games.

“We’ve got some really talented lads here and I want them to show people how good they are.

“Second half they showed everyone. They were so composed, technically good and competed well.

“We’re going to enjoy this moment and then see where it takes us. Next week will come round soon enough and we’ve got to be ready to go again.”

Oldham now sit seven points outside the play-off spots, but former Tranmere manager Mellon insists he is not looking too far ahead.

“We want to keep making sure that we have important games and keep our season going. But we won’t get carried away, there’s work to be done and we need to keep on winning matches,” he said.

“We’re gutted we couldn’t get the clean sheet. We’re disappointed with the goal. We have to stop that from happening, but it’s good that we’re frustrated with that.

“Clean sheets are a prize for us and we want to keep collecting them. A lot of hard work goes in to getting them and we don’t want to give up goals cheaply.”

Defeat for Tranmere leaves them looking anxiously over their shoulders towards the relegation zone, with Saturday’s result their 11th loss in 12 matches.

Caretaker boss Andy Parkinson says the club must show unity if they want to turn their poor form around.

“Self-belief and confidence are obviously low, but everyone has to stick together and keep working to try and find a way to get some results,” Parkinson said.

“I didn’t think we were great at all in the first half. Second half we got a little bit better and scored a great goal. But things seem to be conspiring against us at the moment.

“We tried to pick a team to win the game. We put people in their natural positions and again, we were forced into changes.

“I feel for the fans, I really do. I’ve been here a long time and I love this football club too – it’s hurting me.”