George Johnston is determined not to let last weekend’s work go to waste as Wanderers bid to keep climbing, writes Pete Oliver.
The Whites snapped a four-game winless run in League One with a thrilling 5-2 victory over Reading last Saturday.
Ian Evatt’s men were close to back to their best as they stood up to the pressure of the threat of a third successive home league loss to get their campaign back on track.
And Johnston was one of the catalysts of a crucial victory which takes Wanderers into Saturday’s game at Crawley Town with their tails up.
“Before the game I kind of imagined if there was anything I could do early on to get the team and the fans going it probably would be a tackle,” revealed the defender, whose challenge on Reading winger Chem Campbell set the mood for an uplifting afternoon.
“Thankfully the ball fell kind of perfectly between me and the other lad. I put everything into that tackle; strong but fair, never going into hurt anyone. It was something that helped the tone but it wasn't just me. I think Szabi and Tommo put in some good tackles early on.
“But we don't want to do that every week. That's not the type of team we are all the time. We want to get the ball down and play and get the fans going with exciting football but I think last week was a bit different and we had to show we had that bite.”
Wanderers did that with Johnston at the fore as he continued his impressive return to duty after missing all of last season through injury.
The 26-year-old didn’t start Wanderers’ mid-week Carabao Cup loss at Arsenal but is likely to be back at Crawley where Evatt’s side will be looking to make it back-to-back league wins for the first time this season to kick-start a potentially productive run to the next international break.
“All the positives that came out of last week; they don't mean anything if we don't back it up this week,” admitted Johnston. "Our full focus is on Saturday and we'll be doing everything we can to continue this momentum we picked up last week.
“These games away from home are always tough but I think we've adapted to them well over the last season or two. We know what to expect and know how to deal with those environments a bit better now. We are a bit more streetwise so hopefully we can step up to the plate and get the job done.
“The main thing last week was showing that we could stick together, we could face adversity and we do have a spark there and if we can build on that this week we will just grow in confidence even more.
“I think the aim is to win all three league games. That's what we expect of one another. Saying it is easier than actually doing it we will do everything we possibly can to make sure it does happen.”
Watch the full pre-match interview with George on Wanderers TV