Dino pleased as new boys up Latics’ game

DINO Maamria believes his Oldham squad are starting to see the benefits of their January signings.

Latics return to Boundary Park for the second time this week looking to follow up Tuesday’s impressive 3-1 win over Mansfield Town against play-off chasers Bradford City today.

Tuesday’s win saw five of Maamria’s six winter signings feature during the game and the Oldham boss was quick to highlight the impact that they have had on the squad since coming in.

He said: “To be fair to the squad, for the past three or four weeks we trimmed the squad a little bit and we kept a close unit together. They believe in the process, we’ve brought in some players that have added value on the pitch and off it as well. There is no secret that when there were four or five new faces on Tuesday night, the performance level has gone up. I think that can only be a good thing for the whole squad.”

Today’s opponents have experienced a similar run of form to the Latics, having won just twice in their past 11 League Two games.

That form has subsequently seen Gary Bowyer’s side slip to seventh, with three points now separating them and Port Vale in 10th and five away from the automatic promotion places.

Elsewhere, Latics have also confirmed that midfielder Chris McCann has extended his contract at the club until the end of the season. The 32-year-old has now signed an improved contract, with the option to extend for a further year.