Opposition view: Oldham 'understood what was needed', says boss Mellon
Oldham Athletic manager Micky Mellon said his side ‘understood what you need to do’ to win a game of football after Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory at Sixfields.
A game devoid of quality and excitement was ultimately decided by Ollie Norburn’s 70th-minute goal as Oldham clinched their first away win of the season.
"We spoke about needing to show that grit and making sure you battle and you scrap and produce the qualities you need in a game like this," said Mellon.
"You have to fight for the right to play and give nothing away, which we didn't this evening, and we took our moment. That togetherness between the team and the fans was there and we were all fighting and scrapping.
"We understood what you need to do on night's like this, at Northampton, in League Two, and the boys went out and did that.
"The game plan was to compete and to win individual battles first and foremost and then try and play on top of that and find the quality needed to get a goal.
"Ollie came up with a nice finish and I thought we deserved it because we worked our socks off and we did everything that was necessary.
"All credit to the boys, it's a really satisfying result but that's all it is. It's just one win and there's still a lot to do."