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JP
What did you make of that today then?
GK
Very obviously disappointed with the result, it wasn't a game that we obviously enjoyed. It wasn't a game that we were able to get the ball down and play, probably through the conditions of the pitch and how dry the pitch was.
It looked like the players were taking that extra touch and watching the ball onto their foot, not being able to do everything naturally simply because of the conditions with the wind and what have you. But still all in all disappointed to lose at home you know.
JP
Why do you think that you got that sort of performance when the pressure is off you? I think the fans, you could feel that they almost wanted just to be entertained a bit today and I don't think they felt they got that did they?
GK
Well, in terms of being entertaining I think the team that scored the first goal today was probably going to win the game because of the conditions. But they got the first goal, it was a lacklustre performance from both teams in the first-half. They competed very well for second balls and they made it a scrap all over the park.
I thought we matched them in terms of that but we started the second-half with the conditions, with the wind and with the sun on our back. It was a bit of a spawny goal on their part but you take them when you are in that position, and very similar to where we were last season, anything that you get given you take.
JP
Should you have had a penalty did you think in that second-half?
GK
Most definitely, it is easy to say but I genuinely thought….. I don't see why Richard Keogh would go to the by-line, literally about to cross, be tackled and decide to fall down for a penalty and for it not to be given. He never even crossed the ball in the end so from where I was stood it certainly looked like a penalty.
But that is not hiding behind the fact that we didn't play well, but I think expectations have been risen this season and quite rightly so. But it is a blip, it is not a catastrophe, it is a game that we lost, we huffed and puffed in the second-half and had a lot of possession in their half without having I suppose cut-throat opportunities. But we are disappointed, there are no two ways about that.
JP
Do you think it is down to the injuries or is there more to it? You are not perhaps creating enough good chances for yourselves at the moment?
GK
Well, I think when you look at the bigger picture, it is not making excuses but the reality is the same players have played an unbelievable amount of games on the bounce. There have been five, six or seven injuries to first-team players that probably would have played over the course of a number of games.
But the same players, especially the young lads who are finding their own ways in their own career, a lot of the young lads on loan, they have found it difficult today simply because it was a game probably that we were expected to win.
The pressure was on us at home and these are obstacles that you are going to have to face in your career later on. The experience today will certainly help but when it is a difficult game, when it is a difficult pitch, you have got to compete. Which we did do first-half but we gave away very silly goals.
JP
What can you do, Jeff Thorpe, a former player, said there is no question that the players aren't trying but it is just not happening for them. As a player yourself what can you try to do when it is not quite happening for you like that? What could you have done differently maybe?
GK
Well certainly against this group of players I would never label them that they don't try in any game. We might not play the best, we might not have the best quality in any given game but it is certainly not for the want of trying. Sometimes the inexperience with the young lads, they will run everywhere and they will lose their shape but you could never ever question their honesty.
Tom Taiwo, Adam Clayton, Ben Marshall, I think they have done absolutely fantastic since they have come to the club. Today we possibly could have got the ball wide more earlier and more quickly, certainly to the full-back areas, and especially changing the play.
Because I think once it went down one side it stayed down the other side rather than trying to go into midfield. Obviously change the play, come out to full-back and deliver balls from deep. Gary Madine, I thought he played particularly well today, he has played well the last few games, he held the ball up, he competed with (Sean) Gregan.
They didn't look to play great amounts of football, they cleared their lines when they had to, we must have lost four or five balls today over the stands. But goals change games and they got a goal at the right time.
JP
They did indeed, goals and chances are obviously important when we are trying to do that. Oldham no doubt came and did a very good away performance you would say to their credit, do you think you needed to try to get more chances?
I think it was three shots on target today and I think only ten in the last four games, it is clearly something that you just suddenly need to find a way otherwise there is a risk the season will peter out isn't there?
GK
Well, we have said that all along, just because we are safe we are not going to let the season peter out. We are trying to push the players but it is very difficult in terms of tempo and energy when the players are genuinely exhausted. There are obviously one or two playing with injuries also but there is nothing we can do, we need to grin and bear it, and we are not complaining about it, that is just the reality.
I think we could have been a little bit more clever today in terms of getting the ball wide. And we said that at half-time, if we can raise the tempo rather than taking that extra touch, be brave and play balls in front of players rather than straight through them. Therefore they don't need to take that extra touch and they can deliver balls earlier.
We might have moved their defence a little bit more and we might have then got a few more opportunities to score. In the first-half it was a bit too laboured on both teams' part, we didn't create enough chances, we said that.
We felt that in the wide areas as soon as we get there we needed to create an overlap with the full-back overlapping and moving their full-back and then delivering, or sliding the full-back in, but it just didn't happen. In the second-half we huffed and puffed, we nearly more or less camped in their half in the second-half but just didn't get that final goal.
JP
The formation itself, you went to 4-4-2 with bringing Scott Dobie on and it was also very positive giving a decent bit of time to Ryan Bowman. But some fans are questioning why you started 4-5-1 against a team like Oldham?
GK
Well, I don't understand where people are getting the opinion that we played 4-5-1, we haven't played 4-5-1 all season, we played 4-4-1-1, that was even when I was playing in the team, it was never a 4-5-1. So I don't understand, if people look at the formation Adam Clayton played in the hole today.
His job was to occupy the other centre-half (Reuben Hazell) in our possession which I thought he did do, and to drop into the hole where he is clever and get us turned and obviously get the ball wide.
The conditions today probably in hindsight, which is a great thing, didn't allow for the ball to be played in with quality so we could get turned. Adam had to take the extra touch, get on the half-turn and we probably didn't feed him with enough quality either when we did give him those opportunities.
But it was a definite 4-4-1-1 for him to get up in connection with Gary Madine. It has worked all season, we have got a lot of results, we have had a lot of good performances, we have created a lot of goals and never once has it been an issue then.
JP
He did look a little bit short of options around him though Gary Madine, as you said, he did have a decent game today but at times he was flicking it on and nobody was up there with him. I think that is why the fans will say perhaps that it seemed a bit conservative today.
GK
Well then you have got to look at the supply haven't you, you have got to think that if he is flicking balls on he is obviously not capable of holding the ball into his chest because the ball has been too high. So therefore we need to get it in and be a little bit more clever and get it into his feet, get it in and around his chest where Gary is good.
He is 6'2/6'3 but he can certainly deal with the ball in and around him. Then we obviously need to get support from the wide areas, once that happens the full-backs need to push up and we need to be tight at the back.
But we are playing a lot of games and we are playing a lot of the young lads who are learning their careers. These are things that they are going to learn and they are going to see for themselves and be able to react to rather than waiting to be told on the sideline.
JP
So you've got Southampton away, early chance for a bit of payback, but I don't suppose it will quite make up for how you felt after Wembley, but it is a good opportunity to test where the club is at the moment?
GK
Well I think if you look at Southampton, since Christmas they have been on an unbelievable run. Not only are they winning games but they are winning games by three, four or five goals.
They are obviously full of confidence, and they convincingly beat us at Wembley but we said today, apart from today, prior to that there was only the one game which we felt we let ourselves down, which was Wembley. So that is certainly something we need to look at and try to address.
But by no means is it going to be easy going to Southampton on their own patch, they have got a lovely pitch, they get the ball down and play. They are full of confidence, creating lots of opportunities and scoring lots of goals, but football has a habit sometimes of giving you an opportunity, a quick opportunity, to turn things around and to make amends for the defeat.
We will certainly be going there to win the game, we won't be going there fearing them. The individual mistakes that we made at Wembley hopefully won't happen and hopefully we can give a little bit of a more better account of ourselves.
JP
And it is important in these final games not to let that season peter out because this is almost like advertising next season at Brunton Park for fans isn't it, these final games. It is what they are going to remember taking into the summer, which is where they make their mind up over whether to be here next year of course.
GK
Well it is, but first and foremost as players we said all along that once we got safe that was brilliant, pats on the back for the lads. But we said, listen, it is vitally important, any teams that we have ever been involved in the past, successful teams and unsuccessful teams, you must finish the season well.
Because invariably if you finish well you start the following season well, and that is what we have been drumming into the lads all day every day in training and certainly the games. Yes it is one bad performance but I would like to think the fans are a little bit more clever than that, which I am sure they are.
The fans have seen a team this season which has less numbers, less bodies certainly than it did last season and there is a much smaller budget. I am not trying to throw facts at people here and make excuses, this is the reality. The fans, we would love them to come in their numbers again next season and get behind the team.
If they look at the bigger picture and take away the disappointment of today I am sure they will see a big, big massive improvement from where we were last season to this season. Hopefully next season we can have more support.
JP
And just finally, from one professional on another, what did you make of David Raven getting his first chance back in the team today after such a lengthy injury lay-off?
GK
Well it is always difficult, he came on last Tuesday night against Leeds and did well. I know from my own experience when you are out of the game, as much as you do all your running and everything else there is nothing like getting games.
I think as a kid Rav was a centre-back, he has played the majority of his career here as a right-back but I thought he did particularly well today. He looked a bit tired later on in the game which we expected, and we have a big team and certainly when balls go back we squeeze a couple of yards.
Towards the latter stage of the game he probably wasn't able to do that only because of his fitness, but that will come with games, but I did think he did very well.