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Oldham Athletic 0 Hartlepool 1

5/ 3/2008

LATICS boss John Sheridan has told his players they have to improve quickly after watching them lose 1-0 to Hartlepool on Tuesday night.

Michael Mackay’s second-half goal saw the visitors record their first away victory since November, leaving Athletic’s players walking off to a chorus of boos at full-time.

Having blown their chance to close on the top six, Sheridan continues to seek reasons for Latics’ poor home displays against Swindon Town and Hartlepool.

He said: "I think we’ve been quite fortunate in some of the wins we’ve had. I know we won at Port Vale but it’s all about performances and the standard of football and I could be in the dressing room until midnight talking about some of the things I see on the pitch.

"I don’t think our performances have merited us climbing the table. I don’t know what’s wrong with us at home because, no disrespect to Hartlepool and Swindon, we should be beating them and we aren’t doing."

A dismal performance from the home players on Tuesday night was overshadowed by the injury to on-loan Jordan Robertson.

The striker was taken off during the first half with what was believed to be a broken leg, although he was still undergoing hospital tests as the Advertiser went to press.

That brought an early appearance for Leon Constantine, signed from Leeds United on loan early on Tuesday morning.

However, the striker had few chances to mark his debut with a goal as Athletic failed to seriously test visiting keeper Arran Lee-Barrett.

Mackay broke the deadlock 16 minutes from time when, with the Oldham defence appealing in vain for offside, he broke through to chip Mark Crossley.

The nearest Athletic came was in the 89th minute when Lee-Barrett thwarted substitute Deane Smalley from 15 yards.

Sheridan said: "I can’t believe we played offside and with no pressure on the ball because we don’t tell them to do that. It was a very poor goal to give away."