Latics manager Lee Johnson spoke to his club's official website after his side's 1-0 League One win over Carlisle at Boundary Park, Johnson saying it was a tough game:
“I am really happy with the win, obviously it was a tough game, we knew it was going to be tough. I thought we started really well and played some nice stuff and were the better of the two sides, and then got the penalty. Than we had to dig in, and it was great for this group of lads to dig in like that and win a game when actually we probably didn’t play as well as we have done when we have lost games.
“Football is crazy isn’t it, we have totally destroyed teams and not come out on the back of a win, and then today you could say they could have scored with a couple of chances. But, again we had another couple good chances, the keeper [Mark Gillespie] has made a couple of good saves, but overall the most important thing was that it is another win for us and another sign that the group can become a group and be bonded by that energy and work-rate they put in to keep a clean sheet.
“I thought Jonathan Grounds and Genseric Kusunga and James Wesolowski and Korey Smith all played really well, the energy they put in to protect us at the back and even the wingers worked hard as well. Sometimes you have got to do that, this is what football is all about, you have got eleven humans versus eleven humans, you have got emotions and great saves. It wasn’t a classic vintage performance from us in terms of tiki-taka soccer, but it was a big win for this group.
“Danny Philliskirk is a good footballer too, he is an intelligent player and that is quite a trustworthy group out there and I think that is why we kept a clean sheet. I’d say it was fair to say we took the first half and Carlisle took the second. But, they were always going to throw caution to the win and chuck some bodies forward, and we were unlucky on a couple of occasions where we maybe could have broke and scored a goal. But, that is what has been happening to us and sometimes that is just the way football goes.
“Kirk Millar has been fantastic, in training we have really tried to work hard with him mentally because he is a kid that beats himself up a little bit. Yesterday I played in the five-a-side and I was playing with him and I was just thinking he was on fire. He just had confidence, he was moving the ball, his hips were moving well, and I have always really liked Kirk and I am a little bit frustrated that I haven’t been able to get him a bit more game time.
“It is a massive game now against Wolves on Tuesday, one we look forward to, a different type of game I’m sure. But, we have got to go there full of confidence on the back of a mini-run now. I think the thing with Wolves is you are not playing the history of the club, you are not playing the stadium, you are playing eleven players. I think that is the important thing for this young group, and if I can stress that and get it into them then they certainly won’t be over-awed.
Because, at the end of the day what makes Wolves Wolves is their history, it is probably not their eleven players. We go there on three games unbeaten and two clean sheets, so that is good for the lads. I am delighted for the lads because we probably deserved that on a couple of occasions before and haven’t got it. So, on this one we have dug it out and fair play to the boys.”