DAD’S DAY AS YEOVIL STROLL IT
OLDHAM boss Lee Johnson urged his players to look at themselves in the mirror following his side’s shambolic defeat to strugglers Yeovil – with father Gary in the opposing dugout.
The seething Johnson Jnr apologised to supporters for his side’s poor display after strikes from Stephen Arthurworrey, Simon Gillett, Sam Hoskins and substitute Kieffer Moore led relegation-threatened Yeovil to a throroughly deserved win.
He said: “It was a bit more than a reality check. All I can do is apologise.
“I do feel some players have let us down on the day. Hopefully, it was a one-off. Some of the traits were very worrying.What can I do?
“We put out a strong, experienced team and I’m very disappointed, for multiple reasons. A couple threw in the towel for me and that was the biggest disappointment.
“Their team to a man was better than ours. We were too disjointed all over the pitch, due to some really weak characters on the day.
“I don’t say this often but they certainly need to look at themselves in the mirror.”
It was a fantastic day, though, for Dad, who celebrated a first managerial victory over his son to boost his side’s hopes of avoiding the drop.
Johnson Senior said: “We made sure they didn’t look great on the day because of the way we played. We didn’t allow them to get ahead and that’s why we won the game.
“There was some great finishing in the first half. I thought we defended solidly in the second half but still broke and created two or three chances of our own.
“We keep saying we’re unlucky to be down there, but after games like this it gives our players extra confidence to play our natural pressing game and stick to our philosophy.”
Following a scrappy start, Yeovil took a surprise lead on 21 minutes. An unmarked Arthurworrey stooped low to head a corner against the post and then reacted quickest to bundle in the rebound.
Seven minutes later, midfielder Gillett found plenty of space and smashed the ball into the corner.
Yeovil then took advantage of more calamitous Oldham defending just before the interval to put the match beyond doubt.
Genseric Kusunga, whose own goal against Doncaster knocked Oldham out of the FA Cup last weekend, was dispossessed by Sam Hoskins, who drilled the ball low beyond a helpless Paddy Kenny.
The shell-shocked Latics retained possession for longer intervals after the break, but it was Yeovil who looked the more dangerous.
Substitute Tom Eaves missed two excellent chances, particularly when he dinked the ball over Kenny and fired wide with the goal gaping. But a fourth finally arrived deep into stoppage time when substitute Moore compounded Oldham’s misery with a neat finish.