JOHN Sheridan insists he has no regrets about coming back to try to save Oldham Athletic, even though a third Shezurrection is looking almost impossible with three games to go.

Latics were seven points adrift with just under half of the season to play when the club legend returned to the Boundary Park dugout.

Optimism that he could pull off another Great Escape was high when they went seven games unbeaten following his January appointment.

But a run of nine defeats from the next 11 games has derailed their survival bid, and left them favourites in a three-horse race with Barrow and Stevenage for the drop.

Sheridan concedes that his return has not gone as well as he would have hoped or as well as the early momentum would suggest.

Even so, he says he does not regret his decision to return for a sixth spell in charge.

Asked whether he would still have come back had he had an insight into how things would pan out, he said defiantly - and without hesitation: "All day long!

"Everyone knows the fondness I have for the club no matter what.

"My intentions were purely to just come back and try to help the team stay in the league. Obviously it's not really gone to plan but we're still in with a slight chance. And while there's still a chance we're going to go all out and do it.

"I'm absolutely gutted that it hasn't worked out the way I would have liked it to.

"There have been times where I've felt really good and times where I've felt really bad obviously. Suspensions and injuries, with a small squad anyway with the embargo, haven't helped us. I felt if we'd have kept everyone fit and no suspensions I think we would have been in a healthier position. We would have definitely had more points.

"But you can look back and think about things. We've done good things at times and then we haven't performed like we should have.

"But I did feel when we had the strongest 11, 12, 13 players always fit we were competitive.

"But it is what it is, we are where we are. I'm gutted that we're not in a healthier position but while we are in with a slight chance I've got to put it all in there and believe."

It is his job to impart that belief to the players too, ahead of tomorrow's visit of a Salford City looking to bridge a three-point gap to the play-offs.

"There was disappointment after the (Forest Green) game on Monday but we've just got to try to bounce back and try to get a couple of good results if we can if we're going to give ourselves the best opportunity of staying in this division," said Sheridan.

"We can't dwell too much on it, if there are any positive thoughts I've got to give them to the players and that's what I'm going to try to do.

"It's going to be a big ask, four points (behind) and we've only got three games left.

"But while there's still a chance for the game on Saturday, a bit of a derby game, we've got to go all out for the win and believe that the other teams are going to get beat. But we've got to win our games."

Should Latics lose and both Barrow and Stevenage win their home games with Sutton and Tranmere respectively, then that would stretch their advantage to seven points, leaving Latics with an unassailable deficit and consign them to the National League with two games to go.

"We've got to get three points on Saturday, that's the be all and end all of it," said Sheridan.