A 15-hour day out on Saturday involving a car ride, four trains, two taxis and a bus journey to get me from home in Newcastle to Boundary Park and back again, all to witness a comprehensive defeat in the FA Trophy against Gateshead, in a match that should have been played less than three miles from my house left me briefly considering why I continue to travel hundreds of miles to watch Oldham.

Of course the answer is my love for the club and that will never go away but it can be very difficult sometimes.

I know I’m not alone in that thought, particularly in the current financial climate, and many of us, both local and further afield, will have that feeling from time to time but, sadly, at the moment, despite the great impression of what is happening off the field and the strides being made there, that feeling is one that has been with me too often recently. I long for the time when we can regularly spend Saturday nights celebrating a victory, rather than experiencing defeat.

Saturday was even more galling as the little shoots of recovery had looked like they had begun to grow with the recent performances and results in the last two games against Notts County and Dorking. That, paired with the incredible hard work of the ground staff, who deserved so much more after managing to get the match on at all after the almost biblical deluge of rain in the run up, meant an overwhelming feeling of disappointment at the result, and the performance of the team. And so, another inquest began.

I hoped to see a settled line up to continue where we left off in Dorking and got that but, the performance was more akin to 2022 Oldham rather than the one we have seen in the new year so far.

Who was at fault? Was it the fault of David Unsworth and his game plan? Were the players simply not good enough, both in terms of effort and application? Was it a mixture of the two? Whatever the answer, what is clear is that the gaffer must find the winning formula soon.

We now have no competitions other than the National League to think about and survival is an absolute must. With the Wealdstone match postponed, it’s Southend next on Saturday, a home game against an in form side high up the table but equally a side who, on paper at least, we match and should be able to go out and beat.

The momentum of the two games prior to Gateshead has gone but there must be a reaction to the poor display last weekend. And, as for me, will I be doing it all again? I think we all know the answer to that.