JOHN Sheridan is hopeful of bringing in a full-back to bolster his Oldham Athletic squad before Saturday's trip to Hereford United.

With former loanee Daniel Jones out for another four to five weeks, Sheridan is awaiting on a phone call from the unnamed player's club, which he hopes will yield a positive response.

Having spoken for some time about the need for another left-back to push Kelvin Lomax, Sheridan has changed his mind to a degree by saying that he wants someone to put pressure on Lomax and right-back Neal Eardley.

He said: "I want people who can push Neal and Kelvin. Kelvin's played 20-odd league games and he's only been on the losing side once, so he's doing something right or he's a lucky omen.

"I don't want people in a position where they know they'll be playing, so I want to get a right-back or a left-back in, someone to push those lads.

"Both of them are young and naive, they're learning the game. They're going to have their ups and downs, it's part and parcel of learning the game."

Mark Allott is back in the reckoning for Saturday's trip to Edgar Street, having missed Monday's 2-1 win over Hartlepool United through suspension.

Dean Windass is set to continue up front alongside Lee Hughes, following an impressive debut which saw him hit the woodwork twice.

Although Latics' record against League One's strugglers leaves a lot to be desired, they go to second-bottom Hereford on the back of a 10-game unbeaten run which sees them third in the table.

Nevertheless, past experience tells Sheridan not to be too over-confident when visiting League One's second-bottom side.

He said: "Teams fighting and scrapping for everything make it difficult. Hereford have had some decent results, so I'm expecting a very hard game - we have to expect a fight and be ready for it.

"It's important we try and win the game and then see whether the results go for us. It's no foregone conclusion but we have to be confident we can go and get something from the game."