Kevin Nolan left ‘gutted’ as Northampton’s FA Cup curse continues at Oldham

Kevin Nolan said he was “gutted” that the FA Cup curse had struck again for Northampton.

The Cobblers had not reached the second round of the competition since the 2019-2020 season, and Michael Mellon’s hat-trick ensured that unwanted run continued as Sky Bet League Two side Oldham secured a 3-1 win at Boundary Park.

Nolan said the result, and performance, left him questioning his players’ mentality.

“Everything about that today I didn’t like. I’m gutted. I’m gutted for the supporters because I wanted to give them something to shout about today.

“I’ve just questioned them (the players) for the first time. It’s about mentality and they wanted it more than us.

“They had lads running back harder than us, winning 50-50s, winning second balls.

“I’m really disappointed, it was a poor performance and I’m not having that.

“We’ve got to react in the right way.”

In contrast, Oldham boss Micky Mellon was delighted to progress and end a six-game winless run thanks to his hat-trick hero son.

The on-loan Burnley striker scored twice in a minute to give Latics a 2-0 lead in the fourth minute – the first an impressive bicycle kick – before completing his treble in the 50th minute.

“You want to watch football and see those types of goals live,” said the Oldham boss of Mellon’s acrobatic first.

“The way he’s executed it is absolutely top drawer and you don’t see many of them.

“But I was delighted with them to a man, they went into it with the attitude they were going to fight to get a result so I’m really pleased.

“It’s important that you take the FA Cup seriously because it’s about creating those memories for supporters and we’ve won against a team a level above us having just come back into the Football League, and games like that will gather some momentum.”