DINO Maamria believes things are finally coming together following their 1-0 win at Newport County – but says his side are still a work in progress.

The Latics earned their first away win in League Two since August with a battling victory at promotion hopefuls Newport at Rodney Parade.

Zak Mills’ close-range strike in first-half stoppage time was enough to decide a low-quality contest in difficult conditions and it ended a run of just one win in the last seven league games for his side.

The three points, the first maximum on the road since a 2-1 win at Cambridge United on August 24, lifted Maamria’s team up to 20th in the table and they are now five points clear of basement boys Morecambe with a game in hand.

And he was delighted that the hard work that has been put in on the training ground is starting to pay off.

He said: “It was a fantastic performance, a brilliant win and we needed it. There has been improvement over the weeks, but to come here and play like that against a team that is well known for their ferocity at home is great.

“We are still a work in progress, but that was more like the team I am trying to build at Oldham. They showed resilience and desire. We dealt well with the long balls and when we got the ball, we played a bit.

“I am so delighted for the fans who travelled and we have dedicated the win to them.

“We used last week’s rest the right way and we worked on a different shape. It fitted us well and we dealt with them with ease. In the second half I don’t think they got in our box once. The application of the lads was very pleasing.

“The fitness levels of the players was low and I’ve been working on that. I’ve had to work on the personality and resilience of the team. That is again work in progress. In the last week I’ve been working on the shape. The mental side is important as well. Nobody gave us a chance coming here and I had to work on their belief to come here and get the three points.”

Filipe Morais almost gave Latics the perfect start as he blasted goalwards after a clever free kick but his shot hit the chest of home goalkeeper Nick Townsend and rebounded to safety.

Big centre-half Ryan Inniss had a header that skimmed the bar, but Oldham frustrated the hosts for the most part in an impressive first 45 minutes.

Morais and Desire Segbe Azankpo pressed well from the front and Zeus De La Paz had few serious saves to make in the first half.

The all-important goal arrived in the time added on following a clash of heads between Azankpo and home defender Danny McNamara and it stunned the home crowd into silence just before the interval.

Jonny Smith’s shot was well saved by Townsend but Mills was in the right place to squeeze the rebound inside the post from close range.

The expected onslaught from Newport was slow in coming but De La Paz was forced into a fine save to keep out a deflected shot from Scot Bennett on the hour, before Tristan Abrahams failed to hit the target from close range.

Mills almost bagged a second after a classy run and shot but his effort was deflected over.

The home side made a raft of substitutions but they failed to have the desired effect and, while substitute Matty Dolan saw his free-kick hit the wall late on, the determined Latics defence did more than enough to hang on for a well-deserved victory.

And, finally, the 207 travelling fans could really enjoy their journey home.