Oldham Athletic manager Mellon apologises to supporters

The Latics boss described the goals they conceded as "horrendous" after they were twice punished for missing good chances of their own, both times by James Henry either side of half-time.

Reagan Ogle pulled a goal back to make it 2-1 with his first goal for his new club, which was deflected in off Tyler Frost.

But Shots quickly restored their two-goal cushion when Frost converted Ashley Akpan's cross, before Theo Widdrington wrapped it up for the hosts from the spot in stoppage time after Manny Monthe handled Hady Ghandour’s initial shot.

"First of all I want to apologise to the supporters who have come down. I don't want to do that too many times on behalf of us all," said Mellon.

"Defensively we were poor, gave away too many really cheap goals and you're going to make it very difficult for yourself if that happens.

Reagan Ogle scored his first Latics goal but it was only a consolation (Image: Thomas Lee Stacey)

"We got ourselves back into it at 2-1 and then gave another cheap goal away, and it's difficult for me to see where we're up to as team if we're chasing it like that and giving away so many cheap goals.

"I'm really frustrated, because it wasn't like we were getting carved open. We gave away crazy goals. We had opportunities to score ourselves and didn't take them, so it's really frustrating. But the result is what it is and we have to own that and we do and I am sorry for the supporters who made the journey all the way down, I genuinely am because they came down and they kept singing and they kept trying to get us going.

"It's up to me to make sure that I work with my group of players and make things better."

Mellon added: "We have been doing a lot better but we said before we came that the next games were going to be the ones where we were going to find out a lot about ourselves and we found out today that we need to be focused all the time, we need to be more resilient, more gritty all of the time otherwise we will give away goals like we did.

"Some of the goals that we gave away are horrendous."

Mellon was equally frustrated by the opportunities missed, with Aldershot opening the scoring on the counter after Mike Fondop went close, while Henry grabbed the second soon after Monthe had a header saved.

"If you're going to be successful and win games of football, especially at places like this, the chances that we get you've to take. That's not criticism and me having a go at people and digging people out, it's a fact that if those opportunities come you've got to take them. They did," said the Latics boss.

"Ours came at a good time, and that gets you the first goal. You've got to score them.

"If you're going to be successful you've got to take those opportunities. There's no other way around about it.

"They went up the other end and they take theirs, so all of a sudden you're chasing the game."