JOHN Sheridan has not given up hope of saving Oldham Athletic, but concedes the odds are stacked against them, after defeat at Forest Green Rovers left them four points adrift with just three games to go.

Latics trailed 2-0 after a poor first half against the League Two leaders in the Easter Monday match.

But while they were much improved in the second half and took the game to the Gloucestershire side, a missed penalty by Christopher Missilou in the 80th minute scuppered any chance of a late fightback.

"It's going to be very hard because the other teams are picking points up, Stevenage and Barrow," said Sheridan, after their nearest rivals both earned draws against already relegated Scunthorpe and Salford respectively.

"It's going to be very difficult. I've got to still have a little bit of hope while there are three games, but it's going to be very difficult.

"I feel as though we've probably got to win the last three games, and even that might not be enough. Four points is a massive gap now with three games to go, and they've got that game in hand as well."

And Sheridan felt, yet again, they were the architects of their own downfall at Forest Green.

"I think our first half performance has cost us the game. We don't stop the cross for the second goal against a team top of the league, so you're just giving yourselves a mountain to climb," said the head coach.

"We didn't get the breaks when we had the chances, at 1-0 we had a couple of chances in probably a minute.

"We gift teams chances, we gift them corners. At the start of the game we had a corner against us in 30 seconds.

"We changed things at half-time and I thought we got ourselves back in the game, and then obviously the penalty. That's the third time (a penalty has been missed) and it's big things.

"We possibly could have had four or five more points if we'd have put those penalties away in previous games and today, because I felt if we'd have scored the penalty we were right in the game. I feel as though we could have pushed on and possibly got something.

Sheridan admitted he was surprised that Missilou took the spot kick, insisting there were a number of other candidates who should have stepped up.

But he was reluctant to play the blame game.

"I don't know what Christopher is taking the penalty for, I really don't.

"I wanted to run on the pitch and grab the ball off him, and give it to someone else. But there are players on there that should be grabbing the ball off him. I've done it myself, and someone has grabbed the ball off me and taken a penalty.

"If you want to take it 100 per cent... I don't want to be attaching blame to a single player, but I thought there were more experienced and capable who do finishing every day of the week. I don't think Christopher has ever joined in finishing, and that's why I was so surprised and shocked that he took the penalty.

"There's no excuses. Everyone misses penalties, there's no way I'm blaming him, but it was a big big moment in the game because I felt we were on top.

"But the first half performance... we gift goals away, and too many chances, opportunities - it's cost us."