LATICS have needed a quality EFL manager for a number of years, and now they have their man in Keith Curle.

It may not be attractive, it may not result in many goals, but his style of play allows Oldham to grind out results.

With Tuesday night’s victory over Exeter, Curle now has his first win as head coach, while we have only lost one during his five games in charge.

In all five, Latics have looked much more secure and have been steadier than they were under Harry Kewell’s experimental, attacking tactics that left his side’s defensive frailties on full show.

Both at Bradford and in the Exeter clash, it was markedly better in defence, with captain Carl Piergianni marshalling the back line.

Andrea Badan, who is much more comfortable as a traditional left-back, may not be perfect, but Harry Clarke and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson returning should help to aid those problems.

Dylan Fage, too, has definitely improved under his new role. Shielded from positions where he could make mistakes that threaten the defence, he has been able to flourish further up the pitch and has finally used his pace to his advantage.

Callum Whelan is another for whom the changes have been advantageous.

When Kewell was manager, he was usually relegated to the bench, but he has been allowed to come into the midfield and display the best of his qualities in the middle.

Alongside him, Alfie McCalmont has carried on his top form and has arguably been the most important player recently.

His goal on Tuesday night displayed immaculate technique, perfectly side-footing it and looping the ball into the top corner from a position where many would have swung at it with their laces. There are still problems that need to be rectified, but they will take time.

Up top, the lack of a traditional target man has been the Achilles heel – Danny Rowe would have been excellent under the new tactician. Calvin Andrew has just signed for Barrow and a player of his ilk would perform well under the stewardship of Curle.

Serhat Tasdemir has failed to impress since joining on loan from Peterborough United. He’s been invisible when he’s featured and hasn’t provided any sort of threat going forwards. There are more than enough attacking talents in the youth team who could fill that position if needed.

On that topic, Junior Luamba’s short cameo showed promise, and he should have probably bagged himself a goal. The youth team beat the first team when they played earlier in Curle’s tenure – the new boss should look into using them more often.