Mike Fondop cupped his right hand over his eyes pointed to the sky with his left.

The striker had just had his prayers answered in scoring an important goal at a crucial time for Oldham Athletic, and depicted a motto that he lives by.

"That's me saying I walk by faith and not by sight," he explained.

"Over the course of my life there have been instances where my faith has got me out of situations. It's a Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 5:7, the Bible asks you to walk by faith not by sight.

"The Bible also says you just need to have faith as small as a (mustard) seed to be able to move mountains. That's how important it is to have faith.

"On a daily basis my life is not based on the things that I usually see around me. Don't get me wrong, that's reality around me, but a lot of the things I do are based on the faith I have in God to help me achieve my goals."

And it helped him to score a goal on Saturday.

It has not been easy for Fondop in recent weeks on the pitch. There were missed chances in a 4-1 defeat at Aldershot, two resulting in quick counter attacks for the opposition and two goals.

Opportunities to snatch a win at Altrincham fell to him too, but the game ended all square. Against Halifax he had what looked a legitimate goal cruelly chalked off for offside.

But Fondop has retained faith in himself, and in God, that a corner would be turned for him and the team.

"If I have to be critical of myself I go back to the Altrincham game where I missed two good chances. As a striker you always reflect on those ones," said the Cameroonian, who thanked his team-mates and boss Micky Mellon too for their support.

"Fair play to the boys, they've had my back. Even the manager. Yes he told me, honestly, I should have scored but he said you learn and I was happy to show character by scoring.

"Football is all about confidence and it's a lot about confidence as a striker, you want to score."

But first he helped pave the way for someone else, combining well with Mark Kitching down the left for the full back to land the perfect cross on the head of Josh Lundstram for the opening goal.

Latics might have expected to add to such a promising start, 1-0 up in the 12th minute. But it was not until early in the first half that they struck again.

James Norwood wanted to make sure it was his name on the scoresheetJames Norwood wanted to make sure it was his name on the scoresheet (Image: Thomas Lee Stacey)

Reagan Ogle continues to cause havoc in opposition boxes with his mammoth throw, and here Tunji Akinola could only flick a header towards his own goal, with James Norwood - a half-time replacement for the injured Dan Gardner - making sure of the goal by kneeing it over on the line.

Oldham had Lundstram and Oli Hammond orchestrating matters in midfield and were cruising.

Charley Kendall's 30-yard rocket out of the blue threatened to disrupt them, halving the deficit with 14 minutes to go.

But within seconds of the re-start Fondop restored the two-goal cushion, latching onto Manny Monthe's long ball forward after the defence failed to clear, and executing a clinical and composed finish.

"First and foremost I thank God for that because I've been really praying to get back onto the scoresheet, and I think it was an important goal because at 2-1 we were a bit under pressure," he reflected.

"With the draws we've been having you never know what can happen so to be able to score that goal it took a bit of pressure off the boys."