GEORGE Johnston once fought to save Wigan Athletic’s League One status – now he would be pleased to add some pressure to their plight.
The Wanderers defender spent some time on loan with the Latics during the 2020/21 season, as he was looking for a route back to the UK after a spell with Dutch club Feyenoord.
Johnston played 22 times in total and was part of a squad that survived the drop by a single point from Rochdale.
Ryan Lowe’s side are not quite in the same precarious situation as they prepare to welcome bitter rivals Bolton to the Brick Community Stadium, holding an eight-point cushion on Burton in the final relegation place with nine games remaining.
Johnston smiled as he was reminded of his time with Wigan, and the continual reminders from the terraces that his allegiances now lie elsewhere.
“That was four years ago now,” he told The Bolton News. “I helped keep them from relegation in a really difficult time for them. And maybe the respect wasn’t shown.
“I have no bad feelings towards them. But I am a Bolton player now, I’m delighted to be a Bolton player as well. So, 100 per cent, I would celebrate if we could get a win. It would be huge.”
Johnston needs no reminder of Bolton’s recent record in this fixture. The last league win was back in November 2014, Max Clayton, Chung-Yong Lee and Craig Davies supplying the goals, but the last time the Whites won on Wigan turf was in the Premier League, Chris Eagles capping off a rare highlight in a desperate 2011/12 season.
The current crop of players – and particularly those who have been here for a few years – are well aware of the stigma this game now carries for those of a Boltonian persuasion.
“Since I have been here we haven’t won, so it’ll mean everything to change that,” he said.
“I think we’ve scored once – Bodvarsson in the draw away – so to get something would be massive, not just for us but for the fans.
“They deserve it more than anything because there have been some tough days in that fixture.”
Wanderers have lost their last three games in League One, dropping to eighth spot as a result, their early momentum gathered under Steven Schumacher now stalled.
The mood within the camp remains positive, however, and Johnston is one of a number of players still adamant that they can force their way into the play-off picture during their remaining eight games.
“I honestly do,” he said. “I feel like we are going to get into the play-offs, go into a semi-final and have some momentum on our side because, let’s be honest, we’ll need to win the majority of games between now and then to get there.
“If we can do that, we’ll be the ones to fear.”
Wanderers find themselves once again searching for a spark – but Johnston remains confident they can find it on Tuesday night.
“We can’t dress it up too much – it’s go there with a gameplan, execute it,” he said. “I don’t think we have been playing badly, we have taken positives despite the recent results. And I know most people won’t see them because they want the result.
“We can’t dwell on it now. We need to change it, so we have a job to do at Wigan and promotion has been the target all along.”
