While there is gratitude for his achievements in getting Oldham Athletic back into the Football League, there is backlash from an increasing number of supporters amid a run of results that leaves Latics just a point and a place above the relegation zone after 11 games.

Some of the 800 fans who had travelled to the Bescot Stadium and stayed until the bitter end of last night's 3-0 defeat chanted "We want Mellon out" after the final whistle.

"You've got to accept it, that's the nature of the job," Mellon told The Oldham Times when asked about the reaction from the away end.

"Not everyone can do our job. But when you get experience like me you understand and you accept what goes along with it, and you get on with that.

"If you don't win a game of football you have to accept what goes along with it."

But Mellon said he could not legislate for the "individual moments" that proved costly, against a Walsall side who remain the only unbeaten team in the EFL this season.

"You can't give goals away like that and me stand here and give you a reason for it.

"I can't give you a reason for it. And I'm not giving the players a hard time and digging anybody out because I've never done that. But you can't give away goals like that and expect to give yourself a great opportunity of getting results if you're 2-0 down with two comedy goals like that.

"Lack of taking responsibility in crucial moments; a corner that the goalie takes and kicks he full length of the pitch along the floor... I wouldn't be able to go into training and practice that because I wouldn't think it would happen. It's not worth your while wasting your time practicing that because it just doesn't happen.

"And then countless times when you work with a back four and balls come out wide, you close the gaps and you don't let things be slide down the side of you, you come across as a unit, and we've allowed people to be slid in. We don't get those types of opportunities. Do we work on it, yes, all the time, but people didn't show the focus or the necessary qualities that we needed in that moment to keep us from losing another goal.

"That's it in a nutshell.

"And at the other end you've got to put away those chances, if you're going to give yourself another opportunity of doing anything in any game of football, they're big chances to miss and again we didn't take them."

He added: "Its just not good enough is it. So if we can stop that and defend in a familiar way we've got every chance of doing anything in any game. And then if we can be ruthless at the other end, because we had two really good chances, one where Drummond was one v one with the goalie and he saves it with his legs where it could have been 2-1 to make it a bit different. They're big moments in any game of football that we aren't getting at the minute, or not taking.

"So just take your chances, defend better. It is as simple as that.

"Do your jobs."

Of his own position, Mellon said: "I know what my job is and I'll get on with that."