WHAT would John Sheridan have said if someone had told him he'd have eight points from his first four games back in charge of Oldham Athletic?

"You probably wouldn't have believed it," he admitted.

"It's two points a game, which I've said before - probably sarcastically - is promotion form, but we've just got to carry on that and pick points up from each game we play."

The optimists would say that Sheridan has a point. Having seen form flip so quickly from relegation certainties to being just 12 points from the top half then why not dare to dream? Latics would have a 22-point gap to make up to seventh place, but there are 51 points to play for.

"I feel as though anyone can beat anyone in this division. I've seen the results from throughout the season and anyone on their day can beat anyone," Sheridan continued.

"I wouldn't look at who's playing who and think there's an automatic win for anyone. I just don't think it's like that in this league.

"And it helps when you're picking points up and there's a bit of confidence in the players at this moment in time. You go into training looking forward to the next game.

"But we're not getting ahead of ourselves.

"It's great that our performances have given the fans a bit of belief and we're picking points up.

"There's long way to go and hopefully it will continue.

"When we've been in a similar position regarding league place fans have always got right behind the team and myself and luckily we've always delivered and ended up staying in the league and it can be done again.

"We've had a good start since I've come in but I'm not getting carried away, there's a long way to go and hopefully it will continue, but it's just one step at a time at the minute."

Statistics favour Latics making it five unbeaten tomorrow at home to Bradford, who have not won at Boundary Park in five years.

Defeat at home to Exeter City on Saturday prompted the end of Derek Adams' reign, and they will head across the Pennines under the caretaker watch of Mark Trueman as the search for Adams' successor goes on.

"I think we've got to look at them and analyse them as much as we can while Derek Adams was in charge and then at the same time respect that a new manager's come in and they change things around the team and performances," said Sheridan.

"We'll try to give the players as much insight as we can.

"But we've just got to focus on ourselves as much as anything else. If we concentrate and perform like we have done in the last three or four games - we're unbeaten in four - we've got to take it into the game believing we're going to win. It's massively important that we do that.

"Bradford could be one of the best teams in the league, they've got the squad and the players there, for some reason they're not doing as well as they should be.

"Our form at this moment in time is okay, we've got to maintain it and if we can do it for seven, eight, nine, 10 games, that's all I'm worried about - about ourselves more than anyone else."