Dean Holden warns Walsall to expect a battle

The 36-year-old recently returned to the Saddlers following a 15-month spell at Boundary Park where he worked alongside manager's Lee Johnson and David Dunn and also enjoyed a spell as caretaker boss.

Holden left the Latics following Dunn's sacking in January with the relegation-threatened side turning to former boss John Sheridan who has since led them to six wins, five draws and just two defeats in their last 13 games.

That run of form has propelled them from the bottom of the table to within a point of escaping the League One relegation zone. But Holden is confident his new side has what it takes to secure a 14th victory on the road this season.

"I'm expecting a really tough match," he said.

"They've been on a decent run since John took over. I know John – I played with him and for him – we got promoted together at Chesterfield so I know exactly what to expect. We know we're going to be in for one hell of a battle and we've got to win the battle first before we can play our own game"We know what our strengths are but we need to match the hard work and endeavour of Oldham's team and they've got some really good quality players.

"But the focus is on us and we need to play our game, stick to our beliefs and do what we're good at."

Walsall fell to a 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United in their last outing, but Holden insists confidence in the camp remains high.

"We've had an extremely positive week," he added.

"The lads have been flying in training. Their enthusiasm and passion is infectious and now we all want to go on another run now and get positive results to give us a chance."

Meanwhile, Walsall's Jon Whitney has missed out on the manager of the month award for March.

Whitney won all three of his March League One fixtures but was beaten to the trophy by Barnsley's Paul Heckingbottom.