Johnson expectant on Oldham

Lee Johnson goes into games more in expectation than hope these days, with his in-form Oldham currently on a nine-game unbeaten run.

The Football League's youngest manager has overseen another impressive run of form at SportsDirect.com Park, following on from last year's 10-game unbeaten streak to close out the campaign. Latics have lost just three of their past 24 contests in all competitions and they have done so despite seeing a big overhaul in personnel over the summer. "There's good signs; I feel like I'm going into a game not hoping," Johnson said. "Sometimes you feel like as a manager you're going into a game thinking this has got to be right, he's got to play, the ref's got to have a good game. "I don't feel like that now. I feel like I know we're going to be in every game, have chances and be reasonably solid and then just hope the opposition doesn't pull out a bit of magic. "Generally, I'm happy with the progression of the players." Moreover, Oldham have shown a battling spirit of late - claiming points from losing positions in three of their previous four league games. And on Tuesday night they shrugged off the disappointment of conceding a last-minute equaliser to Barnsley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy by winning the penalty shoot-out. Despite that dramatic setback, Johnson insisted he remained adamant they would win the 'lottery' and his premonitions were proved right when teenage substitute Rhys Turner stroked home the winning penalty. "The lads believed that as well; I certainly got that vibe," Johnson added. "What was interesting is that I was thinking to myself 'who am I going to pick here for the penalties?' "Five players came up to me and said 'I'm having one'. Really, it was their dominance that forced it upon me. "Rhys Turner, fair play to him, 19 years old, wanting to take the decisive penalty and slotting it away like he was a World Cup winner!"