Johnson backing for Bove
Lee Johnson was full of praise for Oldham teenager Jordan Bove afte the striker grabbed the only goal of the game against Bradford.
Bove sent the Latics into the second round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy when he pounced two minutes from time at SportsDirect.com Park.
Bove's only previous senior appearance was in the same competition last season when he was sent off three minutes into his debut.
This time, the 18-year-old powered a right-foot shot high into the net from six yards out after Bradford goalkeeper Jordan Pickford could only parry Carl Winchester's cross-shot.
Mark Yeates hitting the post with a long-range effort was the closest that Bradford came to scoring a goal.
"I'm really pleased with the result and I'm delighted for Jordan, said Johnson.
"He wouldn't have expected to be on the bench, let alone get on the pitch, but he's a goalscorer who gets into the right positions.
"The question is whether he's up to it physically at the moment, but he scored 28 goals in the youth team last season and he has taken his chance tonight.
"His body needs to mature and we are still in the market for a striker, but Jordan always gets into the right areas and he can give us energy coming off the bench."
Johnson added: "It's always a tough game against Bradford because they play their system well, but our midfield and back four made sure our keeper didn't have much to do.
"We did well at Doncaster on Saturday (a 2-0 win) and we've done well again. Winning games and keeping clean sheets are both great habits to have."
Bradford manager Phil Parkinson felt his team were unfortunate to be knocked out at the first hurdle.
He said: "We got punished for an error of judgement at the back, but it's a cruel way to lose.
"I'm sure the supporters who came here will know that we couldn't have done much more.
"Oldham's defenders threw their bodies on the line when we had them under pressure. They had a few spells of their own, but these are the flows you get in the game.
"Our keeper didn't have much to do all night, but we conceded late in the game and it didn't give us the time to come back.
"It's a shame, but defensively we did okay and I thought Chris Routis did very well on his debut.
"I was looking forward to seeing him play his first game in English in football because he's a very good player. There are no question marks about his temperament and I was pleased with his performance."