Latics to go flat out for victory

JONSON Clarke-Harris, who is likely to lead the Latics line tomorrow, scored in the 1-1 draw with Bradford in December.

ATHLETIC’S clash at Bradford tomorrow has been described as “monstrous” by manager Lee Johnson, who hopes to be sitting on another three-point cushion heading into a 12-day fallow period.

A win at Valley Parade tomorrow will push the club to 47 points — three shy of what Johnson reckons should be enough to remain safe. Defeat could see the chasing pack close in as Latics have a weekend off the following Saturday.

Add that to a nightmare scenario of adding one or two key men to the injury list and it’s easy to see why the Boundary Park boss is placing such an emphasis on building on the current four-game unbeaten run.

“We would still have a game in hand on a couple of teams, but we are at the point now where you want the points in the bag, especially with our small squad,” said Johnson.

“The worst-case scenario is to lose tomorrow and get two or three injuries over the next couple of weeks. All of a sudden, you are then going into big games with the bare bones.

“This is a really important one. If we can win, and I think we can with the support we will get, then we can enjoy the rest and go into the next couple of weeks in good spirits.”

Bradford, whom Johnson watched in action at Sixfields in a scoreless draw on Tuesday night, will also be going all out for the win.