Latics boss Lee Johnson spoke to his club’s official website ahead of his side’s League One game against Carlisle at Boundary Park tomorrow afternoon, Johnson pleased that Oldham have some players back from injury:
“The ten day break couldn’t have come at a better time, the walking wounded are recovering which is good and we are looking forward to having everyone sharp for the game on Saturday. We have really focused for a good seven or eight days now on Carlisle. They have had a new manager come in in Graham Kavanagh and he has affected their group, they have made a couple of signings and have had a couple of injuries that have come back.
“As well all know, in our division that can make a big difference to a team, it will be a good game and I am looking forward to it. We are at home and we want to sort our home form out and we want to win, we are desperate to get a result for the fans in front of them. We will be continuing to play our football and if we can win on Saturday then it would be great because it sets open a good run of games. If we can continue that momentum and get a little unbeaten run going then we will climb up the league.
“We have been working on a few little bits and bobs of course, and tactically we have been working on some stuff. Set-pieces are very important, 25% of goals are from set-pieces, so defensively and attacking-wise we are about on that both ways. So, we want to try to make sure we score from set-pieces and concede less. So, I think we will try to come up with a couple of little pearlers.
“Saturday would be three points and that would be of the utmost importance, as every game has been and every game will be. To me it is everything of course because I want to do well for everybody here and the players and I want to continue the run. Certainly the crowd have been fantastic and I am really hoping that we can get the three points. I am confident that we can get the three points with the way we have played if we do everything right. Although they are a good side, so there is no disrespect in there, I believe in the group and I believe that we can get a win.”
Meanwhile centre-half Jonathan Grounds commented to his club’s official website:
“We have to start getting some results in the league but Carlisle are playing quite well now. I think they have got a few players with their tails up at the minute who are playing really well and they are scoring some goals. But, we have come off the back of two good results, one here against Leyton Orient and the one at Preston, so we have just got to carry that on really, especially with the games we have got in a short period of time.”
In team news for the Latics tomorrow they have three players missing through injury in Connor Brown, Matteo Lanzoni and Jack Truelove. Right-back Brown is out until mid-November with knee cartilage damage, while fellow right-sided defender Lanzoni has recently returned to Italy for treatment on a grade two hamstring tear.
Finally injury-wise, 17-year old left-back Jack Truelove, who made his first team debut on the final day of last season, is out until next year after suffering cruciate and medial knee ligament damage in an August reserve team match. In better news for Oldham boss Johnson though, the Latics today extended the loan spell of Burnley left-back Joseph Mills into a third and final month at Boundary Park.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Mark Heywood from Northwich in Cheshire and he will be assisted down the lines by two men from Leeds in David Storrie and Jason Whiteley. Meanwhile the fourth official is William Smallwood who, like referee Heywood, is also from Northwich.