“I know it sounds difficult and fans will be feeling it deeply, I honestly believe and I’ve seen it, you can see it a little bit with Stockport County at the moment.”
Getting out of the National League will be no easy task, given the struggles of Notts County, Grimsby Town and Chesterfield – all sides that have endured the slide out of the EFL in recent times.
With one automatic promotion spot available and a competitive play-off series to overcome for the second, the National League is a tough environment with a mix of full-time, hybrid and part-time clubs vying for promotion.
“It’s really difficult to get out of the division,” Johnson continued. “It’s a strong league and sometimes stronger than the top half of League Two in terms of the way non-league players get paid and have other jobs.
“The way they often have other jobs, these are very good players who are supplementing their football wage with a working income, they drop out of the league but are still top players.”
Former Oldham chief executive Alan Hardy felt sadness at the plight of the current Latics side, having been involved with the club during their top-flight heyday.
The memories of Roger Palmer, Mike Milligan, Rick Holden and Andy Ritchie schooling teams at Boundary Park seem a long way away as fans contemplate life outside the EFL for the first time.
Somehow amid the disappointment, he remains positive.
“There’s a lot of hope, there are some wonderful fans, some very proactive fans groups who are helping to take the club forward,” Hardy told BBC Radio Manchester.
“If you look at the ‘Athleticos’ [fans] there now, they’ve never experienced what I was fortunate enough to experience in the Premier League days, they’ve only seen the club struggling.
“It would be nice to turn that round and get some success. We’ve had no promotions for years and years.
“They are still there, they’re still shouting and they’ve created a terrific atmosphere since John Sheridan came back and that’s full credit to them.
“The proactive fan groups are in a position to help take the club forward again I hope.”
