Oldham Athletic manager Lee Johnson has urged his players to convert their recent cup successes into league form as the Latics prepare for their trip to Gillingham on Saturday.
Oldham have won as many games in League One as the cups this season, where they have come through both the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and the FA Cup in recent weeks.
The cup calendar means that Oldham have not played a league game since the 1-1 draw at Bristol City three weeks ago.
Johnson is now hoping that they can take their knockout momentum forward into this weekend’s meeting at Priestfield Stadium.
“The team spirit is high,” said Johnson.
“They [Gillingham] will be hurting because they got knocked out of the FA Cup, while we’ll be buzzing because we got through. There’s an awkward balance there for both teams.”
Oldham’s indifferent league form means that they are wallowing in the lower half of the table after 15 games, with only four victories all season.
But Johnson is hoping that the successful fortnight they have just enjoyed can spark their rise up the division from their current 18th place.
“It’s our bread and butter the league and I’m disappointed with our points tally so far,” said the Football League’s youngest manager.
“I don’t feel our performances have warranted that but we are where we are.
“We’ve got to go out there Saturday and make sure we continue the bite that we’ve had in the past few weeks.”
As the team prepares to embark on one of the longest away trips of the season, Johnson admitted that lenghty journeys can have an effect on a team – particularly on one that has only picked up a single victory on the road this campaign.
“Away travel is something that always messes with my mind,” Johnson told reporters at Thursday morning’s press conference.
“It does as a manager and it did as a player actually and I’m always trying to find different ways to get over that.”
Image courtesy of Sky News via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
