Philliskirk proud of Latics

Caretaker boss Tony Philliskirk praised Oldham's players after they beat MK Dons 3-1 to earn a first win in 10 league games.

Philliskirk, the Latics' long-serving head of youth, was placed in temporary charge after Paul Dickov's decision to step down as manager. And, although he is not thought to be in contention for the full-time job, Philliskirk's side rose to the occasion with a convincing win against the out-of-form Dons. "I can't praise the players enough for everything they have given to myself and the club over the last few days," said Philliskirk. "Obviously we are delighted with the result, but I'm also pleased with the way it was achieved against a team who can play outstanding football. "I think dropping into the bottom four this week had a big psychological impact on the players and you could see their desire to win the game. Nobody wants a relegation on their CV and the senior players in particular came to the fore. They know it's vital that we stay up and they gave an excellent performance." Of his own future, Philliskirk said: "My job is head of youth and that's a massive job in itself. This is my 15th year here and I'll do anything to help the club, but I feel my strength is in developing players. "If I was asked to continue working with the first team, obviously I would have to sit down and think about that. But if a new manager walks in next week, I'll shake his hand and tell him he's inheriting a very good group of players who are better than their league position suggests." Oldham went ahead after 22 minutes when visiting captain Dean Lewington lost possession. Lee Croft picked out Lee Barnard who fired a shot into the far corner of the net. The Dons levelled after 39 minutes, Daniel Powell reached a long pass from Jon Otsemobor and smashed in a shot from 14 yards out. However, the hosts restored their lead moments before half-time as the unmarked Jean Yves M'voto headed home Jose Baxter's free-kick. And the Latics struck again after 53 minutes when on-loan Watford striker Chris Iwelumo converted from close range after the Dons failed to deal with Jordan Obita's cross.