Micky Mellon wants Latics to use the festive period as a platform to propel them into the play-offs.

Oldham go into their home game with Gateshead tomorrow (Saturday) just three points off the top seven, and with the visitors sitting sixth it is a real opportunity to bridge that gap.

But Mellon recognises that they must first get over their Boundary Park mental block.

Three away wins on the spin have made Latics one of the best performing sides in the division on the road. But with only three league wins from 11 at OL1 - and Mellon still waiting to celebrate a first home league win since taking charge - there is work to do if they are to start capitalising on home advantage.

"It gives you an opportunity because the games come thick and fast," said Mellon of the festive fixtures.

"It's an opportunity to pick up points, but you've got to make sure that you're prepared and you're ready and you take that opportunity, so that will start tomorrow, at home.

"We need to start picking up three points here. We've done well on the road but we need to start forcing it here and get some more points at home.

"We have a way of playing, we have a level of playing, we believe that if we concentrate on turning up with the right mentality and hit that, then we would be good enough to get a result against anybody in this division.

"It's just about getting the mentality right and turning up and when the whistle goes here you make sure you try to do the things that we know make us a good team, and try to do them well."

He added: "We want to try to be consistent over 90 minutes or at least be sure that we are going to play at that kind of level more, or most of the time.

"Everybody knows how we can perform, what it's about now is that consistency. You still want to get better, but the second half (at Solihull) was more like us."