JOHN Sheridan says he is staying for the fans and the club, after agreeing a new deal at Boundary Park.

And the head coach, who has secured a one-year extension, revealed that HE approached the board to ask for the chance to get Oldham Athletic back into the Football League at the first attempt.

Latics' relegation to the National League, confirmed by a 2-1 home defeat to Salford City last weekend, was described by Sheridan as "a massive disappointment. One of the worst feelings of my football career if not the worst."

And it was for that reason Sheridan felt compelled to stay and fight for the chance to reinstate them in the Football League next year.

"I went to them, they didn't come to me. I said that if I can have the chance I want to try to get the team back up. That was the conversation," he explained.

"I spoke to them at the start of the week. It was me who was pushing to say 'give me the opportunity to manage the team next season and I'll get the players in to hopefully get us straight back into the league'.

"It was short and sweet. They listened to me and came back to me said 'yes, we'd like you to take it'.

"It was purely my decision. I went to the board. I just didn't want to leave with that feeling of the club getting relegated and the disappointment of the supporters.

"Since I've come in the supporters have supported me and the team like we were going for promotion. I couldn't ask any more from the supporters.

"I know their love and their support for the team. And I just feel, for the sake of a year, just give me the opportunity if I can bounce back, and I believe in myself that I will get the right team and the recruitment and the right players, making some tough decisions, making decisions where if I feel we can keep players to make us push and be stronger for next year, I was only too willing.

Sheridan added: "It's one of the biggest disappointments of my career and I just didn't want to leave on that downer.

"It gives me an opportunity if I can bring players in of my own choice and make us stronger and get a team strong enough to get straight back up because that's really massively important that we try to get straight back up, because if you stay in that league it's very difficult to get out of."

On hearing that owner Abdallah Lemsagam wanted Sheridan to continue in the role, fans expressed their concerns that the club legend would become associated with a regime that they have campaigned to be removed, including last Saturday's pitch invasion which caused a near two-hour delay.

A poll conducted by The Oldham Times which was completed by more than 600 showed the majority would prefer Sheridan not to remain under Lemsagam, citing the current ownership as the issue.

But Sheridan said: "The only thing I'm associated with is Oldham Athletic. I love the club and I always have. Even if I walked away tomorrow I'd always love them and support them.

"I've had an unbelievable relationship with the supporters and that's one of the reasons I want to stay, more than anything, is because of the relationship I have with them. But I don't want to let them down by not performing and doing well.

"I understand where they're coming from and what their thoughts are. But I'm just a football manager, who's luckily at a club which I love.

"I love the supporters because of the support they give me.

"I just didn't want to leave on that sour note.

"I could have just left it to the end of the season and walked away but I think I've been brave enough to stick my chest out and say if I'm allowed to do what I want to do, which I will be, I can bring the personnel in - the recruitment has got to be spot on - to try to push us.

"The most important thing is the club."

Lemsagam is said to still be pursuing a takeover, after announcing in January he would listen to offers.

But even the uncertainty over the club's future has not deterred Sheridan's desire to help the club recover.

"I understand the club is trying to be sold, I understand there might be new owners come in, there might be new owners who come in while I'm here and want a new manager. I understand that, I've had that conversation," he said.

"All I want to do is get recruitment while I'm here and I've got the opportunity to make us bigger and better and stronger and get out of this National League yet as quick as we can."