JOHN Sheridan is aiming to capitalise on Swindon Town’s brittle confidence in order to leave them trailing in his resurgent Oldham Athletic side’s wake.

In the five weeks since his return to the Boundary Park hotseat, the Oldham manager has guided his team to five wins from eight games and the Latics have now put a three-point buffer between themselves and the League One relegation zone.

Oldham will arrive at the County Ground looking to avoid being dragged back into the mire by Luke Williams’ men and Sheridan is under no illusions over the magnitude of Saturday’s showdown.

“It’s a big game for both teams,” said the Latics boss.

“If we can win, it then it makes the gap a little bit bigger so at the same time, Swindon will look at it knowing they are at home and it’s a chance for them, and they are playing a team that are near the bottom.

“They will be trying to win the game but we are confident we can get the win.

“They (Swindon) are a good footballing side and if you let them play, they are one of the best teams on their day in the league.

“They are not having a great time at the moment. They are losing games, so we have just got to try and take advantage of that and try to get something from the game.”

Sheridan will be forced into making a change at the back after experienced central defender Anthony Gerrard was slapped with a two-match ban for his behaviour after being sent off against Chesterfield earlier this month.

However, the Latics chief will welcome back striker Aaron Amadi-Holloway following his knee injury.

“He will be fit and available for the game,” he admitted.

“I’ve got a strong squad other than Anthony, but we go there believing that we are going to win the game.

“That’s what I want the players to believe but it is a tough game and Swindon know the importance of the game, but we will go there and will try and win it.”