Everyone is on their toes

The Latics goalkeeper writes every week for Chron Sport

I HAVEN'T produced a save like the one against Leyton Orient in a while.

I know Dean Cox, who hit the first-half shot that I tipped over the bar last Saturday, from my time playing on loan at Brisbane Road.

He congratulated me on but more importantly it was a big one for the team. The save, at a potential turning point, was a clear contribution to our getting through to the second round of the FA Cup.

Mike Jones hit the free-kick that gave us the narrow win, one we owed Orient after they had turned us over at home earlier in the season.

Nobody wanted to have to take it to a replay, with all of the issues that brings. A midweek game in the capital is a tough ask at a time of year when the fixtures list is already congested.

Our possible second-round opponents Doncaster have to travel again to Weston-Super-Mare after the first scheduled tie was postponed, and that isn't ideal for them, either.

Winning “ugly” it a good skill to have in your armoury. We want to play our good football, but as winter kicks in and pitches deteriorate it is necessary to find different paths. Conditions won't always be fitting for a free-flowing passing game.

I'm sure Crawley will arrive with a similar intention to frustrate us tomorrow.

We have been working this week on different strategies to unpick tight defences. Daniel Johnson came in on loan from Aston Villa and I am sure he will have a part to play in that regard over the coming weeks.

The level of quality we have in the squad right now has a ripple effect. Even in training sessions, the competition for places means players have to put in everything they can. Good players coming in results in everyone having to get more out of themselves.