LATICS caretaker boss Selim Benachour is challenging his side to build on last weekend’s confidence-boosting draw with Forest Green Rovers at Crawley Town on Saturday.

Oldham make the long trip to Sussex still in the bottom two in League Two and searching for a first league win in five matches.

But after a thrilling 5-5 draw with table-topping Forest Green on home soil, Benachour believes it can be a springboard for more positive results over a busy festive period.

He said: “We’ve drawn against the leaders who always score three and four and five.

“To score five goals against them and they suffer it’s a great, great performance.

“It’s a point we will build on and I think this game will give us a lot of positives for the future.”

They may have shipped five goals but to fight back from 4-1 down and show such character against the league leaders is something to be proud of as far as the caretaker is concerned.

And he hopes it will instil belief in the team, who were handed two days off this week, ahead of the visit to Crawley, who sit in 16th spot and nine points better off than Latics.

Benachour added: “We have been criticised for not scoring and we scored five.

“The players are enjoying it.

“I gave them two days off because they deserved it.

“We will fight and work hard for our next game.”

One of those on the scoresheet was Hallam Hope who began the match on the bench but netted just three minutes after his introduction on 52 minutes to set the ball rolling for a famous Boundary Park fightback.

And his manager was pleased with Hope’s attitude and the reaction of all the team on the day and since he stepped in to the manager’s hot seat.

Benachour said: “I am so happy for Hallam.

“I decided to play Junior [Luamba] because I wanted to see him and he had a great game.

“But Hallam was full of desire when he came on and he scored.

“I’m very pleased for everybody, the players on the bench, the players who started.

“This will give us a lot of confidence.”

Latics have received an allocation of 134 seating tickets and 153 standing tickets for Saturday and advanced tickets are discounted at adults £20 seats and £16 standing, seniors £15/£12, Under-21s £13/£11, U18s £10, U16s £4.

Tickets will go off sale slightly earlier today at 4pm from Latics but can also be bought on the day with prices rising by £2.