PLAY to the final whistle – that is the reminder ringing in City’s ears ahead of tomorrow’s home clash with Oldham.

The Valley Parade faithful were left stunned as Fleetwood scored twice late on to seize an unlikely point last week.

After the City squad’s short break in Portugal, Phil Parkinson used yesterday’s return to Apperley Bridge to ram home the message not to switch off like that again.

“We’ve had a chat with the lads and gone over a few areas,” he said.

“It’s important that we keep on doing the right things until the ref blows the final whistle. You can’t simplify it much more than that.

“There is a tendency to sit deep at the end. It’s not something we want to do – you want to keep pressuring and pushing forward.

“It isn’t deliberate. It just happens and that’s something we have to be aware of.

“I don’t think Fleetwood did a great deal to get back into the game but we can’t do anything about it now in terms of changing that result.

“It’s just the ups and downs of being a football manager, player and supporter.”

Andrew Davies is fit again after recovering from the arm injury that has kept him out for three games and is added to a squad that will include new loan capture Tony McMahon.

City have a dreadful record against Oldham – they have won only once in 16 meetings since the last Valley Parade victory in September 1988. The Latics have already beaten them twice this season at Boundary Park in the JPT and then 2-1 in the league.

“We had a bad start at their place and the first 25 minutes proved costly,” added Parkinson. “I thought we came back into the game well and dominated the second half but couldn’t get that equaliser.

“Oldham have had a couple of good results lately against Crewe and Rochdale and will come here in good spirits. But we’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves.”