12th December 2000  

MSC tie off already

DEFENDER Barry Prenderville has been hit by another injury and is set to miss Athletic’s weekend derby match at Bury. The stocky Irishman tweaked a hamstring in Sunday’s FA Cup-tie at Peterborough, a problem which could force manager Andy Ritchie into a reshuffle. Prenderville was making his comeback from a knee injury when he pulled up in the closing seconds of Athletic’s 1-1 draw. The extent of the strain is unclear, but he could also be ruled out of the cup replay and may have a race against time to make the Christmas programme. Athletic have already lost two right-sided players in Neil Adams and Paul Jones, both of whom face another six weeks on the sidelines. And Prenderville - a free-transfer signing from Irish cclub St Pat’s in September - had been hoping to settle in at right-back. 

While Ritchie does have Paul Rickers and Scott McNiven as replacements, he won’t want to lose them from midfield or central defence respectively. Asked whether he would go into the transfer market, Ritchie admitted: “We’ll have to see if that’s necessary - but the situation is a bit of a nightmare.” Next Tuesday’s replay against Peterborough, the winners of which face Chelsea in the third round, will be all pay at the gate. Season ticket holders who wish to occupy their usual reserved seat should bring the book as proof. 

Athletic reserves’ Manchester Senior Cup tie against Manchester City on Thursday has already been postponed. The decision has been made so that groundstaff can carry out work on the problem Boundary Park pitch.

ATHLETIC will begin talks with a number of players in the coming weeks as no fewer than 11 professionals, plus the manager, approach the end of their contracts. Senior stars including Lee Duxbury, David Eyres, John Sheridan and Neil Adams are among the men who will sit down with club officials and try to thrash out new deals. Boss Andy Ritchie has already told the board which of the 11 he wants to keep — and which of them can go. As Athletic still operate with 27 professionals, there is an uncertain future for the club’s fringe players, some of whom could become victims of cost-cutting. Ritchie and his coaching staff have worked closely with the directors in a bid to trim the squad to a manageable size. At times last season, there were 37 full-time pros — a figure which led to young players being held back and serious problems on the financial front. For a second division club operating on modest gates, Athletic’s wage bill was disproportionately high.

In the last financial year, staffing costs (including all employees) were cut by around £250,000. But they still stood at just over £2million. Ritchie has yet to tell each player their fate, explaining: “We are waiting till the busy spell of games is finished.” He added: “Our squad is close to being the right size at the moment, but maybe we are still one or two people over.” For four Athletic players, the situation is clarified by them having ‘options’ written into their current deals. This means that, provided both sides agree, they would be expected to sign up quickly. The quartet comprises Sheridan, Duxbury, Eyres and Tony Carss. As both Sheridan and Eyres are aged 36, with the latter reaching 37 in February, it will be interesting to see what they are offered. Adams comes to the end of his two-year deal in the summer and, as he is also at the veteran stage, it could be a risk to give him more than 12 months more. But the rest of the players concerned are at the opposite end of the spectrum, still making their way in the game and hoping they receive decent offers, or any offer at all.

Of those six, only Danny Boshell and Barry Prenderville are regular members of the first-team squad. There looks sure to be a long-term contract on the table for Boshell who, at the age of 19, is emerging as Athletic’s brightest prospect. Prenderville, meanwhile, joined to the end of the season when he signed in the autumn and, having impressed in a trial, he now aims to emulate Paul Jones and earn something more permanent. All of which leaves four youngsters who, considering Athletic’s situation, may be playing for their futures. Ben Futcher (19) has rarely reached the senior squad this season, but Ritchie’s willingness to send him out on loan could be a good sign — namely that the chance will come once the big defender strengthens up and gains experience. Gerry McLaughlin (19) is a talented Scot who plays at the back or in midfield and is making steady progress without threatening a breakthrough. Goalkeeper Jamie Campbell — one of the biggest 20-year-olds you will ever set eyes on — is in a tricky situation as he is too old to play for the youth team but unable to dislodge David Miskelly from the reserves.

Finally, Danny Walsh (22), who has been unlucky with illness and injury, is yet to fulfil his early potential and is currently at the back of a long queue of midfielders. There is also the issue of Athletic’s final-year trainees, Jon Froggatt and Ben Smith, who may or may not be added to the professional ranks. And Ritchie — still officially a player-manager at the age of 40 — admitted: “There are places in the reserves where we should be bringing lads through such as Smith, Froggatt, Mark Donnelly and Will Haining. “In an ideal world, we would be having a good look at them now. But the bad weather has meant a lot of games being called off, so too many first-team players have needed to stay sharp. “It can be difficult to make the right decisions on everyone because you try to keep an ideal balance in the squad. “We also need to hang fire in some cases because it’s unfair to make long-term decisions on people who are injured.” If last season is anything to go by, the first announcements will be made early in the New Year.

ATHLETIC hope to take their biggest travelling army of the season to Saturday’s derby match with Bury at Gigg Lane. More than 2,000 fans made the short trip last season and, though Christmas shopping may interfere, the number should be well into four figures again. Athletic have been allocated 2,500 covered seats behind the goal, priced at £14 for adults and £7 for juniors and OAPs. It is all pay on the day.

Teamtalk Oldham

Craig Dudley's goal on Sunday at Peterborough has made him the Latics five-goal top scorer so far this season and he is attracting interest. There are fears Athletic could lose their exciting young striker if he keeps finding the net. Dudley has been terrorising Second Division defences with his lightning pace and has already established himself as the darling of the fans. Not bad for a 21-year-old who has only just established himself a first-team place. He previously couldn't even get on the bench and was criticised for his lack of stamina. However, boss Andy Ritchie commented: "If Craig carries on the way he is playing, we might have trouble holding on to him. "We signed him because of the potential we saw in him and it's good to see some of it coming through. "I don't think he is ready to play at a higher level just yet and it's important to take things one step at a time."
Ritchie revealed: "A lot of people are asking about him already, not to buy him but wondering how he is coming on. It is entirely up to Craig how far he goes."

The Latics pitch has claimed another casualty, with the Manchester Senior Cup tie against Manchester City on Thursday night being called off. The pitch is water-logged and the battle is on to get the playing surface in a good enough shape for an FA Cup replay and the important Christmas holiday fixtures which traditionally attract bigger crowds. Peterborough come to Boundary Park next Tuesday night in a scrap that will see the winners go to Premiership big boys Chelsea in the Third Round of the FA Cup. That is followed by the visit of Wigan on Boxing day, then Walsall, another high-flying side, come to town on Saturday January 30.

If those games were to become victims of the recent bad weather, it could cause a mini cash crisis and certainly cause chaos with a back-log of fixtures. Although the Latics invested £8,000 on covers for the pitch, it hasn't worked out as planned. Storm force gales have forced water underneath, swamping the surface. Trenches are being dug and sand laid in an attempt to help with the drainage which is the cause of most of the trouble. However, if there is a downpour shortly before kick-off time games are being thrown into doubt. The LDV Vans Trophy game against Wigan last week was a prime example. The match referee passed the pitch playable after two afternoon inspections, but he had to call it off when the heavens opened an hour and fifteen minutes before the start.

Oldham Rugby Club, who are ground-sharing with the Latics, should have opened their season at Boundary Park on Sunday but, again, the pitch was water-logged. Chief Executive Alan Hardy commented: "The ground staff are doing everything they can, but they have been fighting a losing battle. "It must be heartbreaking for them after all the effort they have put in."

TEAMtalk Bury

Bury chairman Terry Robinson is set to continue his fund-raising crusade before Saturday's home game with Oldham. This follows an amazing response by supporters prior to the weekend's LDV Trophy clash with Mansfield. Although only 1117 supporters turned out for the fixture, Robinson and his army of bucket-holding volunteers managed to collect over £1,500 in much-needed funds. Ironically, the money raised by the volunteers is more than Bury will claim from the gate receipts! Due to various splits of income and the share of the gate given to Mansfield, Bury will only make £1400 profit from the fixture. Chairman Robinson has nothing but praise for the generous supporters, who even included a fair sprinkling of Bolton Wanderers fans! "It was a brilliant response considering the size of the crowd," he said. "One man was too ill to come, but he still donated £20. "I'd just like to say thank-you to all the fans who contributed and hopefully people will continue to give at this weekend's match with Oldham when we will still carry on collecting." Shakers boss Andy Preece was fully behind his Chairman in praising the supporters. He said: "The people who gave are true fans. It's not nice to keep asking the same people to keep contributing because it's the same ones who do it week in and week out. "But it shows the precarious position we are in that we have to do that."