LIAM Hogan has told Oldham Athletic they must hit the ground running from the first day of pre-season and maintain high standards if they are to stand a chance of bouncing back to the Football League at the first attempt.

Latics are due to report back to Boundary Park before the end of the month as preparations for the 2022/23 campaign begin.

Head coach John Sheridan will hope to have assembled more of his squad by that point, having so far added Hogan and Chris Porter since the end of last season, with 13 players released from the squad that suffered relegation to the National League.

Sheridan was hopeful of adding Niall Maher to the mix, after the defender reached the end of his contract with Halifax Town.

But despite being in advanced talks with Latics, with a deal on the table, Maher has opted instead to join newly-promoted Grimsby Town in the Football League.

Sheridan is working on other targets, while also hopeful of retaining Nicky Adams and Jack Stobbs, who have both been offered new terms.

And Hogan says it is vital that when they all come together that they show a strong work ethic if they are to give themselves a fighting chance of a swift return to the EFL.

“We’re going to be in the mix of a lot of good teams, and if you come up short in terms of preparation and planning for some sides and some scenarios there could be a situation where you don’t find yourself doing as well as you think you should,” said the defender, who has captained Salford and Stockport County to promotion from the National League.

“We’re going to make sure that as players we’re honest, we train well and I’m sure we’ll have the preparation from the gaffer to go into those games.

“In terms of what he wants from the players it’s very straight forward, there’s no complications of what you are in your position, and it’s about delivering your highest standard and being consistent as a player and as a team so that when teams come to Oldham Athletic they know they’re going to be in for a really tough game.

“Similarly on the road we’re going to look to be solid and try to cause problems for teams and pick up points as much as we can.

“It’s making sure that we do everything we can physically right, making sure we’ve got the squad available for the gaffer to pick from and really go and compete with each other to make sure we’re as strong as possible.”