Manager's thoughts ahead of this weekend's game against Oldham
Graham Alexander looks ahead to this weekend’s fixture away at Oldham Athletic at his press conference at the Club’s training ground this afternoon.The Cod Army still remain undefeated in League One after five games and will travel to Greater Manchester looking to extend their fine run.
Tuesday night’s JPT disappointment at the hands of Morecambe has quickly been forgotten as Alexander now prepares his side for a clash against the Latics.
Lee Johnson’s Oldham come into the game off the back of two impressive victories against Doncaster Rovers and Bradford City respectively, and will provide a stern test for Town says Alexander.
“We fought last year to play against new opposition and big clubs such as Oldham, and we’re looking forward to the game.
“They’re a good footballing side and will be buoyed by their last two wins which have been impressive.
“It’s going to be a tough one for us, but we have to make sure that we combat their qualities and showcase ours.
“If we play our game at our tempo though then I know we can beat any team in this division. I really do believe that.”
Cup exit to Morecambe in midweek was a blow for the Cod Army having enjoyed success in the competition last season.
“We were all disappointed with the result the other night. We had Morecambe on the ropes for the first 20-25 minutes and we could have scored more than the one goal which we did.
“We let them get back into the game, though, and actually encouraged them to get back into it, and that’s what disappointed me the most.
“The overall performance wasn’t as bad as I thought, however we’re in this profession to be successful and we wanted to win that game the other night.”
An absentee for the game at Boundary Park will be Conor McLaughlin who has teamed up with the Northern Ireland squad for their European Championship qualifier against Hungary on Sunday.
“We’re really pleased for Conor on a personal level as it’s a great honour to represent your country and we fully support that, but obviously it leaves us a good player down.
“He’s done fantastically well over these past 12 months, however I do believe strongly in the squad and they’ll be good enough to cover for his absence.”
Alexander will be able to call on the services of Mark Roberts and Danny Andrew who both featured on Tuesday night after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
“We were really pleased to get Robbo and Danny back on the pitch on Tuesday, but Adam Campbell’s returned to Newcastle.
“We thank Adam for his time here and we’ll definitely keep an eye on his progress as he’s a very good young player.