Walsall FC backed to hit heights by Oldham manager Lee Johnson
Oldham boss Lee Johnson today backed Walsall to be among the League One promotion contenders.
Despite finishing ninth and challenging for a play-off place last year, the Saddlers are still very much unfancied.
But they are held in high regard by Johnson, whose new-look Latics side host Dean Smith's outfit tomorrow at Boundary Park.
Both sides are looking to open the League One campaign with back-to-back wins and ambitious Johnson believes the Saddlers are an excellent yardstick against which to measure his own team's credentials.
"They are a really good side and I hope that for the corresponding fixture after this one, it will be a top-of- the-table clash," he said.
"I believe that if you are above Walsall, there won't be too many ahead of you."
Johnson, the youngest league manager in the country, believes Smith's achievements are the perfect example of what can be achieved on a tight budget.
"Dean Smith has done very well to replace the players he lost in the summer," he added. "He is a good manager who recruits well."
