LJ: I did all I could to help Latics

Johnson: new club, new challenges

BARNSLEY manager Lee Johnson will hold his head high when he returns to Athletic with his new club, he says.

Only two weeks after taking the top job at Oakwell, Johnson will be back at his former home on Saturday - and will stand in the visitors’ area at SportsDirect.com Park for the first time.

Athletic chairman Simon Corney stressed there is no animosity between the club and Johnson over his exit - a move that should eventually fetch the club a six-figure fee.

Plenty of Athletic fans were deeply unhappy with his decision to quit, and Johnson is braced for the flak that will inevitably come his way. But says there was never any doubt over his commitment to his first managerial job: “It is going to be strange and it reminds me a lot of when I played against my old man,” he said.

“You are up against so many people you like, and you are trying to beat them. It’s a part of football, though. I can look myself in the mirror and know that I gave everything I possibly could to Oldham, and that is the main thing for me. As far as I am concerned, I just have to deal with what comes on the day.”

Johnson is a good friend of Athletic’s caretaker manager Dean Holden and the pair speak regularly - but communication has been cut off in the build-up to a vital game for both clubs.

Johnson maintains the strongest XI selected from Athletic’s squad is a match for any rival in the division. While Holden hasn’t been able to put out his finest selection due to injuries, the tykes boss says his difficulties so far as manager will be helpful whether he eventually claims the top job at Athletic or not.

“It is a great experience for him,” Johnson added. “There are some very good players in that squad. Whatever happens, Dean will benefit.

“The worst-case scenario for him is that he grows as a football professional; the best case being he gets the job, should he want it.”

As for Barnsley, three straight wins since taking on the manager’s job have eased his transition.

The run is now five wins in a row for the South Yorkshire outfit, but Johnson wasn’t talking-up Barnsley’s chances too much when asked if his club will finish in the top six.

“I don’t know, is the honest answer,” he said. “I’m still finding my feet and assessing everything. There are some players there who have surprised me by how good they are.

“We have given ourselves a chance. But it is certainly going to be tight. We are one of around 10 clubs who are going for it - and I include Oldham in that.”