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George Johnston reckons Wanderers are now better equipped than ever to take points in League One’s least hospitable arenas.
After the luxuries of Arsenal and the Emriates, it is Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium and Northampton Town’s Sixfields next up as Ian Evatt’s side look to build on the 5-2 win against Reading on their own patch last weekend.
The squad, which has spent much of the week together in a team camp near Wembley, was given some downtime on Thursday afternoon but has otherwise been looking to keep up the intensity Johnston feels was a big factor in last weekend’s victory.
“The week leading up to Reading was the best week of training I have ever been a part of, so that game was already won in my eyes just by the intensity and standards that we had in the build-up,” he said.
“It has been positive in this week too, even with the Arsenal game thrown in. We have played against a world class team, but the lads are still in that good mood, it is a good camp.
“We go to Crawley and know how these occasions are going to play out. We have learned from past mistakes, I think. We need to be streetwise, have the bravery to do what we’re good at, we can’t go into their ground and play their type of football, we want to play our way.”
Wanderers have, in the past, had a patchy record on the road in some of the smaller venues in the division.
Last season, however, the January defeat at Leyton Orient was perhaps the only example of that kind, although they had to pull a result out of the bag at Northampton with 10 men in a particularly awkward trip in February.
The stigma has not completely cleared, and Johnston accepts that the team has had to learn some lessons under Evatt in the last few years.
“I think it’s fair, maybe we have been a bit too naïve or respectful, playing teams at their own game, potentially,” he said. “But the onus is on us to correct it. I think we showed glimpses against Reading, got the win, but the lads know it means nothing if we don’t back it up in these two away games.
“Last season, watching the lads, we were winning some of them. I don’t think that would have happened in the past. I think the lads are more switched on and clued up, they know what it takes to win away from home.
“They are smaller grounds, smaller crowds but they are also intimidating atmospheres, so it takes a different way of playing and thinking.
“We have more experience. Some of the newer lads have a bit of bite too, they have been through the leagues themselves, so they have brought a bit more of that.
Johnston appeared only briefly in Wednesday night’s defeat at Arsenal, missing out on a chance to mark England star Bukayo Saka who left the pitch as he entered it 20 minutes before the end.
The defender does not expect any sort of reaction from the scoreline. “It’s kind of a game in isolation,” he said. “We had to sacrifice a lot of the ball, which we don’t really do, we didn’t press as much because they are world class players and if we did they would pick us apart.
“That was a completely different type of game and we know we won’t come up against that week-in, week-out. We have moved on and we can focus Crawley now.”
Johnston watched the whole of last season from the sidelines, recovering from a cruciate ligament injury, and by Evatt’s own admission he has surpassed expectations since his return in August.
Wanderers remain vigilant for any negative signs but the player himself is confident he can handle this week’s workload.
“Each game I have felt fitter, and the sports scientists have said in each game I am finishing stronger now, apart from Reading – I was tired at the end, I went on a dribble on about 70 minutes and didn’t really recover,” he said.
“I don’t care who we are playing, where we are playing or how often we are playing, I’m just happy to be back on the pitch.”
Crawley are somewhat of an unknown this weekend, having lost their manager Scott Lindsey to MK Dons, they will be guided through the weekend by former midfielder Ben Gladwin.
Having a temporary manager in charge might not be a negative factor, says Johnston, who feels Wanderers cannot afford to look at the change as an automatic boost.
He said: “It can also work in their favour, the players wanting to prove themselves to the man who might be taking the club forward. All we can do is see what they have done in previous weeks and if they do change system then we have to be ready.”
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