Oldham Athletic's 2-2 draw with Halifax Town was not enough to take their play-off challenge to the final game of the season, but manager Micky Mellon believes it highlighted where and how they can improve as they look to plot a path back to the Football League next year.

Latics twice took the lead through Dan Gardner - a sweet strike from a corner in the first half and a penalty in the second - only to be pegged back on both occasions as Halifax returned to seventh spot.

A point was insufficient for Latics. They needed three. And Mellon recognised the volume of stalemates - 18 in total this season - had been their Achilles heel in the run-in especially.

"We've drawn (seven) out of the last 10 games. It says everything about what has to get better," said the Latics boss.

"We're not losing games, but where you need that bit of quality defensively or attacking wise we haven't had enough. We have to try to find that or get the players that we have - because we've got a lot of these players again next season - so we will look to see where we can find those bits of quality defensively or attacking wise that we need in order to take Oldham out of this league.

"We're disappointed and we're gutted but we know the work that needs to be done.

"We couldn't hang onto the lead. We gave away two really cheap, sloppy goals when, as I've said before, the teams that are successful and at the right end of the table, they just don't give goals away like that and give leads away. You seal the deal and that's something that we are going to have to try to move forward to.

"This is a long-term project, I understood that when I first came in. We showed again the signs that we're going to need to get better at.

"But in terms of (the game) I couldn't have asked for any more in terms of effort. I think they fought and they left everything on the pitch.

"We maybe lacked a bit of quality at times and could have done a bit better in certain moments but in terms of fight and endeavour to come here and score twice you'd imagine that you're going to get the result that you want.

"We're all disappointed, but we're growing something and we're building something here and that's what it's all about."