Just watch us go - Johnson

Photo: ALAN HOWARTH

DERBY DELIGHT: Lee Johnson punches the air after victory at Spotland on Saturday.

ATHLETIC boss Lee Johnson says his team is shaping up for League One play-off push.

Athletic cruised to a well-deserved 3-0 derby victory at Rochdale — their first at Spotland in the league since 1974 — and surged into the top six.

They comfortably saw off a Rochdale side that had been level on points ahead of the game. But Johnson believes there is even more to come from his side.

He said: “Everybody is in high spirits of course, but I still think we can improve on Saturday’s performance. Our passing was nowhere near as good as it usually is. If we can get both sides to our games sorted then we certainly will be a force.

“Getting into the top six doesn’t count for anything, but I think Saturday was a statement result. We’re determined to stay in the top six and compete in those top six or eight in the division.

“We’ve got our noses into sixth place now, albeit a couple of teams have games in hand. There’s a long way to go - and that’s a positive. We can still improve and we can still catch people above us.

“The secret is to maintain that progress now. We’ve got players coming back and there are a lot of options. We’ve got half a chance at least.

Athletic fans are getting behind their surging team, particularly on the road. Athletic fans made their presence felt in the 7,269 attendance at Spotland.

Johnson added: “For the first time the fans have that belief the players are going out with total commitment and are running themselves into the ground, and that's important.

“We just need to work together now. We all need support like we had at Rochdale, and all players want to play in games like that.”



STAR defender James Wilson is to miss Athletic’s home FA Cup clash with Doncaster on Saturday due to suspension. Wilson picked up his fifth booking of the season at Spotland, resulting in a one-match ban.