Johnson looks to plug gap

ATHLETIC’S plans to rearrange a game to fall on Saturday, January 3, have been scuppered.

Rochdale’s progress to the third round of the FA Cup via a replay this week meant they can no longer play at SportsDirect.com Park on that date, which coincides with third-round weekend.

Athletic’s intention in that event had been to bring the MK Dons game, scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, forward instead.

But the Dons have controversially been ordered to replay their second-round tie with Chesterfield on Friday, January 2, after the Spireites fielded an ineligible player in the original fixture which they won 1-0.

Athletic examined other options, but they couldn’t arrange an alternative game.

It leaves Johnson now examining the ways in which he can use the blank weekend productively.

“It could come at a good time for us,” he said. “You can do what is required. We could have a mini pre-season, push people like Amari Morgan-Smith who could do with that. Hopefully, Adam Lockwood will be back in that spell.

“Other players need to be rested and we can give them two or three days off to have a mental release.

“People underestimate how mentally toiling a long season in League One is.

“And it gives us as staff the chance to get to watch games in our division.”