Fleetwood Town manager Lee Johnson has spoken to the local media ahead of Saturday's trip across the Pennines, where his side will face Barnsley at Oakwell.
On 25 February 2015, Johnson was appointed as the new head coach of fellow League One side Barnsley and left just under a year later to join Bristol City - where he had four years at Ashton Gate after a successful playing career under the management of his father.
Following Town's win away at Reading on Tuesday night, the gaffer is hoping his players can now take momentum into the game away at Oakwell, but also knows it's going to be a tough test against very good opposition.
Here's what Lee Johnson had to say in his pre-match press conference:
On the three points at Reading…
“Getting three points on Tuesday was huge. It was a tough game but anybody who watched it would have seen a very good game of football. Reading are full of youth and exuberance and at times we dealt with it very well and then at other times we road our luck.
“We know we aren’t the finished article. We put in a poor performance against Lincoln, and I think the lads had the bit between their teeth if you like to go and do well against Reading. Any win is a psychological boost, particularly against a rival whether that be against someone down at the bottom, a local derby or a top two fighting for promotion.
“To be honest, we are just trying to build on performances and get as many points as possible. We are not worrying too much about the line, it’s about getting the process right and making sure we are doing everything we can do with the players we have to get the right results.”
On squad depth…
“Any club needs depth, you need to be lucky with not having injuries to your top players and I think we’ve been unlucky as seven were on the injury bed and now we only have two and they are both contact injuries and I think not getting muscular injuries is key.
“Having no injuries as a player give you the opportunity to get a rhythm and flow, you get competition and if you have that, people have to perform to hold the shirt and if they do that, that’s because you are winning games.
“There’s a lot to improve on. We’ve been excellent at times, but we haven’t put in 96 minute appearances and sometimes we let opposition off when we are attacking and then buckle at times but that comes down to fitness, emotional fitness and as continuity and there’s many factors that go into the micro-management into games.”
On returning to Barnsley…
“A win is what we are working for and I definitely think it’s a possibility. If I was Barnsley, I would be looking at Fleetwood and making note that they have serious threats that we played well in the week.
“Three games in a week is a big test for us, and it is also a test for me because I need to find the balance between team selection. We can’t have victim mentality based on a good win and then have an average performance on Saturday. We will have to perform well to get something
“They [Barnsley] have done well and it’s a Club I know well. I know their ethos and what the Club is built on and you have to try and break that form of spirit before you can play at a club like Barnsley.
“It will be a tough game but it’s a good game for us. It’s relatively local so hopefully the Fleetwood contingent will be travelling there in force!”