Johnson composed on tough return

Barnsley manager Lee Johnson was delighted to secure a 3-1 win at Oldham as he made a victorious return to his former club.

Johnson quit the Latics less than a month ago to take over at their League One rivals - and he was barracked throughout the game by angry home fans - but the 33-year-old has guided his new team into the play-off places. Lewin Nyatanga netted twice and top scorer Conor Hourihane was also on target as Barnsley picked up their sixth consecutive win. Oldham, badly hit by injuries under caretaker boss Dean Holden, ended the match with 10 men after captain Adam Lockwood was sent off in stoppage time for his second yellow card. Nyatanga broke the deadlock with a low shot after 33 minutes after Oldham failed to clear a set-piece, while Hourihane struck six minutes later when he blocked a clearance and saw the ball ricochet into the net. Oldham's Mike Jones fired a shot into the bottom corner after 42 minutes and the home side threatened an equaliser, but Nyatanga clinched Barnsley's victory 20 minutes from time when he bundled in from a free-kick. Johnson admitted: "It was tough coming back, to be honest. "Winning is what it's all about and this is a fantastic result, but it was very raw and I just tried to be as professional as I could. "The reception was mixed, if I'm being generous, but I understand and I don't hold that against anyone. "I had two fantastic years here at Oldham and people don't know the full story about me leaving, but for me it's a new club and a new beginning. "The game was passionate and charged and I was pleased with the first 20 minutes because the lads played the atmosphere very well. "It wasn't a great game in terms of quality, but we were professional, we scored from set-pieces and we got the job done. "We caught Oldham at a good time because they are short of numbers, but we had some excellent performances. "Conor Hourihane played with fire in his belly and ice in his head. He was the catalyst for our decent moves." Holden, who has led Oldham in four games since Johnson's departure, blamed the defeat on defensive lapses. He said: "We had the best chances in the game and our keeper didn't make one save in 90 minutes, but we conceded three times from set-pieces. "I thought we played well and were the better team, but you can't win games when you defend like that. "We work on set-pieces extensively, but players need to organise each other on the pitch and win their one-to-one battles. "You need desire to win the ball and get into the right positions, but unfortunately we aren't doing that at the moment. "We need to look at our concentration levels and our discipline because we are conceding too many free-kicks and that's where we are getting undone. "We are in a bad run at the moment, but we are working hard on the solutions. I'm comfortable doing this job and as long as I'm in charge I will give it absolutely everything."