Oldham Athletic manager Lee Johnson believes his side can triumph over adversity when the Latics take on Chesterfield tonight – despite the spectre of match-fixing that shrouds one of their players.
The Latics boss admitted that his side’s preparation for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy fixture at Boundary park has been disrupted by the allegations of match-fixing against Cristian Montano
However, despite the tumultuous build-up to the match Johnson believes his side will still perform to the best of their ability.
“The one thing about Latics is that we have a fantastic fighting spirit,” he said.
“When the chips are down, as they have been, it is about how we come back and show our defiance.”
While Chesterfield may be a division below the Latics Johnson is not taking anything for granted.
“Chesterfield are flying high and have a good team,” he said.
“I have seen them a couple of times and they have a lot of threats so it will be a tough one.
“We are at home and also unbeaten in our last eight games. And though we didn’t win on Saturday, we are still in a decent run of form.
“We are looking hard to beat so go into the game confident and strong.”
The teams last met in September 2012 with Chesterfield running out 2-1 winners.
However, tonight they will be without top scorer Gary Roberts who will miss the match through injury; a fact that Johnson believes could give his side the edge.
“It is a positive for us that Roberts isn’t playing as he is an excellent played,” he said.
Oldham have Genseric Kunsunga back after a three-match ban however, James Wesolowski and James Dayton are injury doubts.
Johnson admitted that the match is an opportunity for both sides to make significant strides in the competition but stopped short of eyeing a trip up Wembley Way.
“I am sure both clubs see this as a realistic chance of reaching the Northern Area Final, though Wembley is still a long way off,” he said.
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