Oldham Athletic manager Darren Kelly has called the League One table ‘false’ and insists his side will be on the front foot against Bradford City at Boundary Park on Saturday.
Kelly called for his players to start “getting the fire in the gut” after his side fell to an ignominious 2-0 defeat at the hands of fellow League One outfit Shrewsbury Town in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy fixture on Tuesday.
And the 36-year-old, who is undertaking his first managerial job with Oldham, having replaced the current assistant manager Dean Holden four months ago, believes that Bradford are the perfect team to rediscover their ‘winning mentality’ against.
“I do expect a reaction because losing hurts,” he said.
“I know if we perform the way we can, we will more than match anybody and I fully expect a better performance against Bradford City.
“The table is false at the minute, especially in these early stages.
“We want to give the fans something on Saturday and get the winning mentality back.
“It is a home game so I have no doubt if we can produce what we did last Saturday against Bury and a little bit more, I think we will be alright.”
Fans will be keen for the side to buck their run of four draws in five League One games so far this season, and while the likes of debutant George Edmundson, 18, and Rhys Turner, 20, started against Shrewsbury, first-team regulars David Dunn and Jonathan Forte are likely to return.
Oldham boast an impressive record against Bradford, having won nine, drawn two and lost just one of their previous 12 meetings in all competitions since the turn of the century.
To do so, Kelly’s side will have to find their goalscoring touch however, with their four goals in five games this campaign mirroring their struggles last year, when they ended with just 54 from their 46 matches.
Image courtesy of Oldham Athletic, via Youtube, with thanks.
