Lucky man Sheridan’s

Reasons for optimism

JOHN SHERIDAN’S return to Oldham is certainly looking a case of thir d time lucky.

Back at Boundary Park for his third spell as manager, he has now won four of his last seven games.

And this scrappy victory saw his side climb out the drop zone for the first time in five months.

After going in at halftime 1-1 against bottom club Coventry, goals from skipper Peter Clarke and Ryan McLaughlin gave the hosts a two-goal cushion at Boundary Park before Kwame Thomas pulled one back.

“It is a massive three points,” said Sheridan.

“We were playing a team at the bottom of the table, and I never thought Coventry would be down there.

“Some people might look at it on paper ‘there is three points’ but it didn't work out like that at all.

“It was a grind for us. On a difficult pitch, we didn’t play well apart from 20 minutes after half-time.

“Our substitutes gave us a bit of a spark, we changed the shape and got on the front foot.

“We could have seen it through more easily – but we won and that's the most important thing.”

In a scrappy first half, Oldham went ahead on eight minutes when Ryan Flynn saw his cross diverted into his own goal by Sky Blues defender Kevin Foley.

Only a minute later, Marcus Tudgay hammered in an 18-yard shot that deceived Oldham keeper Connor Ripley to equalise.

Coventry midfielder Callum Reilly struck the crossbar after working a neat one-two with Tudgay and in the second half, lively George Thomas saw his effort well-tipped onto his near post by Ripley.

Oldham turned up the heat, though, with Clarke making the most of a spill by Sky Blues goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook to head home from closerange.

McLaughlin raced through to convert clinically from inside the box and though Kwame Thomas pulled one back with a terrific farpost header from a Jodi Jones cross, Oldham held on.

“We were the better side for parts of the game,” said Coventry manager Russell Slade.

“We can stick to a gameplan and play well, but then we let our standards slip.

“At 2-1 down it was important to stay tight and not concede again, but their player ran through and scored without us laying a glove on him.

“In a way I wish we were rubbish consistently because that way you know where the faults lie. It’s down to a mental weakness.”