QUIET CATS
Johnson gets baptism of fire
LEE JOHNSON admitted Sunderland’s defeat to rockbottom Wigan made it clear that work needs to be done to improve his side’s attacking output.
Johnson took charge of his first game without leading a training session, having only being conf i rmed on the morning of the game.
He brought Aiden McGeady back into the starting line-up after the winger spent more than a year away from the first-team picture at the Stadium of Light following a fall-out with Phil Parkinson.
The decision injected some life into Sunderland’s play early on and he had two of the Black Cats’ best chances.
But Wigan were able to hold onto the lead given to them by 19-year-old Kyle Joseph’s 16th- minute strike, ending a 10-match run without a win in League One. Johnson, who signed a two-and-a-halfyear deal, said: “I think my honeymoon period lasted 15 minutes!
“I really wanted to take the game because it is a learning process.
“I felt it was a little quiet all around the place.” Former Republic of Ireland international McGeady was on loan at Charlton in the second half of last season and has trained with the Under-23s this season, up until the last week. But Johnson put him straight in his starting line-up. He said: “I felt it was important to give
him a clean slate. If he is physically and mentally right, then he is one of the best players in this division.”
Wigan Academy graduate Joseph scored his first goal in senior football, and boss Leam Richardson was disappointed the landmark strike came in front of an empty stadium.
“Kyle is on top of the world at the moment,” he said.
“The only disappointment for him and us is that it wasn’t in front of 30,000 people here.”