LOTS was made of the ticket prices at the Oldham game and it was something I certainly mentioned to the players in the build up to the game.

Our lads were disappointed by that and by the fact they only received 12 complimentary tickets for the game.

I think we need to have a bit of respect between football clubs.

We have an 18 or 19-man squad plus the staff and friends and family want to come and see their loved ones.

But we only got 12 tickets and I don’t think that’s really the way to run a football club.

I’ll probably get shot down by chairmen everywehere for saying that, but you have to respect the opposition.

At Roots Hall we always give the visiting team two tickets per head but it does vary wherever you go. At some clubs you get 50 tickets but at Oldham we got 12 which was disappointing because it’s not as though it was ever going to be a full house.

Dave Worrall had 16 people there watching and I had 12 as we’re both from about 15 minutes from the ground.

So it was certainly a frustrating position to have to be in.

DAVE'S HEAD CHECK

AFTER his injury at Oldham, Dave Worrall will now have to go through all the processes which are required after a blow to the head like that.

I certainly won’t risk a long term injury to him but he wasn’t concussed, he was knocked out.

Now I’m not a medic and whether there’s a difference between the two I don’t know.

We will see what the experts say but Dave is already saying he wants to play Saturday and when you have players with that kind of attitude then you will always have half a chance.

Gary Deegan will train today and he’ll be closer to being available for Saturday than Stephen McLaughlin or Noel Hunt.

I’m fully expecting Michael Timlin to be fit, however. He just needed a bit of rest to take the pain away in his foot and he’ll be ready for Saturday to give me more of a headache.

However, I don’t want any them to be thinking they can take a few more days to recover because we’ve won the last two matches as that’s the wrong way to think.

The right way is to make yourself available and then give me the problem to deal with.

D'URSO TO BRIEF BLUES

WELL-KNOWN referee Andy D’Urso is coming to the training ground to talk to us all today.

I will talk to him after I was sent to the stands at Scunthorpe United and he will talk to the players as well after we were shown six yellow cards at Gillingham recently.

The Football Association have actually reduced our fine from that game and they have listened to what we’ve had to say.

Dave Allison, who is in charge of the referees, selected a 28-year-old for a Gillingham against Southend game not being aware it’s a derby and what the intensity levels of the fans would be.

People say refs never get praised, but I’ve had three or four refs I’ve given 100 per cent in my report because of the pressure they’ve been under and the way they’ve responded.

I understand a 28 year-old has to cut his teeth in the game and hopefully he’ll be in the game for another 20 years.

Good luck to him but our game at Gillingham wasn’t one for him and it was a game we should have won. But I’m looking forward to having Andy, inset, in and I’m sure we’ll take a lot from it.

ENTERTAINING SUMS IT UP!

I’VE had time to reflect on Tuesday’s game at Oldham now and the way to sum it up is the word entertaining.

Of course you want to win the game 3-0 and see it off.

But when Dave Worrall went off after being completely knocked out it certainly affected our rhythm and our ability to carry the ball into the opposition half.

We don’t have any wingers as replacements at the moment as Stephen McLaughlin and Myles Weston are both injured, so it was a blow to lose Dave.

After he went off the game opened up and I’m not really sure what formation either team were playing!

We could’ve scored more than five but we could’ve conceded more than two as well!

It was exciting stuff but I don’t mind a boring 1-0 win or a victory like Tuesday if I’m honest, it’s just about getting the three points.

We’ve had both of those this week and it sets us up nicely for a very big game with Wigan on Saturday now.

GOALS SHARED AROUND

WE’VE had 16 different goalscorers already this season which is more than the whole of last year.

Ideally, we want our strikers to be into double figures coming into Christmas.

But the goals are being shared around and even Luke Prosser, who I brought on to shore things up at Oldham, popped up to score. I have no idea what he was doing there but it was great to see!