The Latics saw off Macclesfield Town 4-1 in the friendly match at Boundary Park on Saturday. It was tough going in the first-half as the home side struggled to find any consistency and the visitors went in with a 1-0 lead. The second half was a different story as the Latics came out with all guns blazing. Adam Rooney scored a confidently dispatched penalty early in the second half before winger Cristian Montano, who had an excellent game, scored two goals to put his side in the driving seat. Jose Baxter put the icing on the cake in the dying minutes with a sweetly taken free kick which hit the crossbar, rebounded out onto the back of the goalkeeper and then into the net to seal a comfortable win.
Montano was delighted and said, “I am in good shape and want to hit the ground running. I have two goals, which is the same as last season, and I am hoping to get a lot this season as well as more assists. Personally I would say that last season was a write off. I was all over the place at different clubs pre-season and came here unfit. When I started finding my feet, I was injured and it was hard to pick myself up. This summer we were given an off-season fitness programme to do and, together with what we have been doing in training and at the Army camp, that has helped a lot. I am feeling stronger and in good shape so just want to hit the ground running and earn a place in the team. You need competition to stay on your toes and it makes you work hard every day. There is also a lot of competition at the back, in midfield and up front which can only be good.”