As Saturday approaches and the anticipation for the new season hots up, Jose Baxter believes that the new look squad at Boundary Park have all the qualities necessary to win promotion.
Baxter said, “We know deep down that we can get promoted. We showed what we can do in our win against a Huddersfield side with some great players, and you wouldn’t have known we were the League One side. The gaffer wants us to play football. He’s got young kids in the side who are ambitious and it’s shown in our performances that we are trusting each other with the ball. We know each other’s game and we are going upwards. For me there’s no such thing as a friendly match. Every player steps over that white line wanting to win and last weekend we did exactly that.”
“If you don't play well, you know there’s someone on the bench who can take your place. You want competition in football – it keeps you on your toes and helps you to play better. We’ve got a few new faces in, but even the young lads who have been training with us have stepped up and they’ve been brilliant. Everything about the club feels good and there is a real buzz about the place.”
Pre-season has been good for the Latics who maintained an unbeaten sequence in their build up matches. We will see if the new found confidence is justified after Saturday as the team travel to Stevenage for the first game of the new season.