A stone hit my windscreen on the way back to the north east from Boundary Park on Good Friday and caused a huge crack.

After the two Easter weekend games have virtually ended our season, that cracked windscreen needing a replacement almost seems like a metaphor for the campaign, which has not gone to plan in the slightest as we now look set to miss out on the play-offs.

Last week, I asked for consistency in selection, a strong and winning mentality, and for the players to want the ball and use it well.

On Good Friday especially, at home to AFC Fylde, none of that happened with one of the worst first half displays I’ve witnessed by an Oldham team.

Dan Gardner scored just before half time to give us a glimmer of hope and, indeed, only Gardner himself comes out of the weekend’s games with any credit.

It was thoroughly disappointing to see a side needing to get points to get an extension to our season seem to have such little desire to get those points.

That desire has doubtless been hit by confidence. The whole squad, and management, seem bereft of it and it is incredible to think that this run of results since February actually started with us firmly ensconced in the play-offs and even looking at second or third.

Something has happened since then as mentality, desire and quality of play have all plummeted and left us in a situation on Easter Monday where the TNT Sports commentators were questioning why we didn’t start going for it against Altrincham until the second half when we really should have snatched a point, but Harrison McGahey missed the target.

I hate missing matches but my windscreen meant I was left watching at home on TV. This did allow me though to hear the commentators interestingly say very similar things to what many of us have been saying over the last couple of months.

Those words, and much besides, will feed into what is now going to be a lengthy four game post-mortem of a season which offered so much but has produced so little.

I am not only usually an optimistic Latics fan but also an optimistic person overall and I don’t like to write so negatively about the team that represents the club I love but these last four games have only, realistically, and very disappointingly, the possibility to salvage a little pride to end the season positively.

Saturday is the ideal place to do that as we aim to retain the local bragging rights against Rochdale.