JUBILANT scenes gave the victorious Dino Maamria “goosebumps” as Oldham shook off their Boxing Day blues to scrap to a 2-1 win at lowly Morecambe.

Désiré Segbé Azankpo and Mo Sylla scored in each half as back-to-back wins took Latics to 17th – their highest position in League Two this season.

But they had to fight for the three points with Carlos Mendes Gomes levelling up for Morecambe moments into the second half before Sylla’s winner in the closing stages.

“It was a fantastic win for us. This is always a tough place to come,” said Maamria of the trip to the Globe Arena.

"Morecambe have been doing well at home lately and had a terrific win here at the weekend against Newport. They gave it a right go but I always thought we were in control and when we scored the winner the reaction of our fans gave me goosebumps.

“I feel we have been growing and getting better and better every game. We have a settled side now and we have some cohesion in the team.

“We have been playing a particular way for some time now and have been doing a lot of work.

“I’m not the sort of manager who likes to change things all the time and I like to give players a run of games and we have a decent squad that is together and growing all the time.”

No club in English football has conceded more Boxing Day goals than Oldham but it was they who started on the front foot in their bid to complete the double over the Shrimps.

The game started at a great pace and the first effort came from Oldham winger Jonny Smith, who latched onto a poor Luke Conlan clearance to create space in the penalty box and drill a low shot that forced a fine save from Mark Halstead.

Latics were then on the back foot with David Wheater producing a fine clearance to deny Mendes-Gomes a shot before the visitors had a stroke of luck when a Conlan free-kick from 30 yards hit  the bar.

Azankpo then gave the visitors the lead on the half hour as he gratefully accepted a post-Christmas gift from Halstead. 

Filipe Morais tried his luck from range which Halstead saved easily, only to push the ball straight onto the path of Azankpo who slotted the loose ball home from three yards.

The home side were soon back in the game as they levelled within two minutes of the second half.

A long ball forward was superbly controlled by AJ Leitch-Smith who teed up Mendes-Gomes perfectly for the midfielder to score under Zeus De La Paz.

Latics would not be denied for long, however, taking the lead 15 minutes from time. A cross into the box ended with Smith seeing a shot blocked but the ball fell perfectly for Sylla who scored from six yards out. 

Maamria added: “Looking at this game overall I always felt we were in control apart from a poor start to the second half where I was really disappointed to see us concede the goal we did.  

“When they scored that goal their fans really got behind them and they got their backs up but we showed great resilience and with Chris McCann giving us a calmness in the middle of the park I felt we were in charge and on the front foot.

“I was delighted for Mo Sylla to score his goal and we should have scored two or three in the second half.”

Morecambe: Halstead, Tanner, Old, Kenyon, Conlan, Mendes-Gomes (Miller 80), Brewitt (Sutton 80), O’Sullivan, Leitch-Smith, Stockton, Ellison

Subs not used: Da Silva Mendes, Alessandra, Wildig, Brownsword, Cranston

Oldham: De La Paz 6, Mills 6, Wheater 7, Hamer 6, Iacovitti 6, Sylla 6, McCann 7, Morais 6 (Wilson 68, 6), Maouche 6, Smith 8, Segbe Azankpo 7 (Egert 88, 5)

Subs not used: Woods, Fage, Akpa Akpro, Emmerson

Attendance: 2,797 (796 Latics)

Referee: Anthony Backhouse