Thom fit for battle?
Bury reaction
Warnock...........he hasn't changed

The central defender has missed the last six games with a broken toe, but he is set to play for the reserves this week and could yet return to the first team on Saturday. Manager Andy Ritchie is relieved to have Thom back in the reckoning as his resources at the heart of defence are stretched to breaking point.

Richard Graham is well short of full fitness, while Shaun Garnett played with an injury in the 2-0 win against Bury. Garnett suffered an abdominal strain at Gillingham last week and, on Saturday, was replaced by Graham just past the hour mark. Said Ritchie: "We were going to take Shaun off at half-time, but he was up with the pace of the game. "He played for another 10 minutes after giving us the signal and he was very sore afterwards. "He will see a specialist today to decide whether he needs any injections to carry on playing. "But another factor was that we didn't really want to put Richard on. He did okay and came through it without any problems, but it all looked a bit quick for him." After being out since December with knee trouble, Graham was pitched back into the fray after only an hour of second-team football. 

Thom's return would give Athletic more room to manoeuvre, so Graham may drop back into the reserves until he feels sharper. Ritchie added: "It has been difficult because we don't have enough strength in depth to bring someone else in at the back. "Scott McNiven has been playing in the middle and, to be fair, he has taken to it like a duck to water. "In fact, alongside Gary Kelly, he has probably been our best player of the season." Despite their gritty display against Neil Warnock and a quartet of Boundary Park old boys, Athletic remain bottom of the second division. But they shouldn't be short of confidence for Saturday's trip to fifth-placed Bristol Rovers.

Allott piledriver sets up sweetest of victories

OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2, BURY 0

AFTER a month of almost unrelenting sourness, Athletic’s victory over Neil Warnock’s Bury must have tasted sweeter than a truckload of saccharin. Not only did it come against a former manager, but it sent four Boundary Park old boys away with their tails between their legs. Not only was it their first win, but it ended a record sequence of five league defeats at the start of a season. And not only was it thoroughly deserved, but it featured one of the finest goals of Athletic’s recent history. Mark Allott’s 25-yard thunderbolt was a flash of genuine brilliance and shook The Shakers so much they rarely stirred again.

When Lee Duxbury sealed the points eight minutes from time the celebrations were ready to begin and, as manager Andy Ritchie revealed afterwards, Athletic’s dressing room was more akin to that of the World Cup winners than a side who remain deep in trouble at the foot of the second division. For a couple of days, Athletic can bask in the sheer relief of ending their embarrassing losing run. They played with style, exuberance and a determination which was undoubtedly raised a couple of notches by the presence of Warnock. With Steve Redmond, Paul Reid, Adrian Littlejohn and Lee Richardson also back on familiar ground, the incentive for success was clear to see. But those factors could easily have worked in the visitors’ favour and it is to Athletic’s great credit that they allowed Bury only fleeting glimpses of an equally gratifying win.

The big question now is whether they have turned the corner and will use their first three points as inspiration for the games to come. While no-one should be lulled into a false sense of security, weekly repeats of this performance would see Athletic clear of the danger which has threatened to engulf them. Almost as pleasing as the result were the returns of Richard Graham and Steve Whitehall. Graham played for the final 28 minutes and, though he needs a few games to settle, will be delighted that his nine-month injury nightmare could be over at last. Whitehall, meanwhile, started his first match of the season and never once allowed Bury’s back line to play on automatic pilot. Whitehall came in for the injured Paul Beavers as Athletic — with two goals in 10 and a half hours — continued their quest for more firepower.

An even more crucial difference, however, was the presence of striker Matthew Tipton on the left-hand side of midfield. It took the young Welshman time to adapt to his new surroundings, but familiarity later bred content and he spent most of the second half torturing full-back Chris Billy with a mixture of invention and skill. Athletic also looked solid at the back, with centre-half Scott McNiven instrumental in the first clean sheet of the campaign. And on the rare occasions Bury did create a chance, goalkeeper Gary Kelly — flying the flag as Athletic’s one-man squadron of ex-Bury men — looked unbeatable. Boundary Park’s fourth successive North-West derby began promisingly as both sides focused on attack. Marauding defender Andrew Holt forced a save from Paddy Kenny after barging his way into the area, while Kelly did well to claw away a header from Nick Daws. There were also penalty appeals at either end — Athletic’s for handball, Bury’s when Littlejohn collided with Paul Rickers — before midfield emerged as the key battleground, with Richardson and John Sheridan vying to be the most creative player on the field.

It was a contest Sheridan eventually won hands down, but not before scrappiness began to take over. Play became punctuated by endless free kicks and, for a time, there was the danger that aggression would develop into a tetchy desire to make points against friends who had lately become foes. The half-time break allowed both sets of players to set their priorities straight — a crucial factor in Athletic’s triumph. With their composure restored, they played some of their best football of the season to date and stretched the visitors’ defence by providing more service to the wide men. Tipton, in particular, was a thorn in Bury’s side as he cut into the area whenever possible. One such run ended with Rickers firing over from 14 yards, while two more crosses caused chaos in the six-yard box.

At the other end, Littlejohn’s run carved out a good chance for Daws before Richardson tested Kelly from distance. Even Richardson, who scored some spectacular long-range goals in his time with Athletic, must have been impressed with the strike which broke the deadlock after 62 minutes. When a loose ball found its way to Allott 25 yards out, there didn’t appear any immediate danger. Allott’s first touch was good, but the second was absolutely stunning — a right-footed piledriver which flew into the top right-hand corner in the blinking of an eye. Athletic were in front for the first time all season but, rather than becoming nervous, they retained their positive outlook. Kelly’s superb stop from Daws in the 75th minute was a major turning point and they secured the points when Duxbury chased Tipton’s perceptive through ball and lifted a delicate shot over Kenny from 10 yards. Bury’s spirited challenge was suddenly stone dead, leaving Athletic with smiles of huge satisfaction. At long last, the agony is over. Now the hard work must begin.

Warnock return lifted us, admits Ritchie

ANDY RITCHIE was in predictably high spirits after getting the better of his former boss, Neil Warnock. Ritchie was one of Warnock’s assistants before succeeding him in the Boundary Park hot seat and he was delighted that Athletic had taken their first points in six games. “I’ve forgotten what I’m supposed to say when we win,” he joked. “That was a magnificent performance and showed what we are capable of when we believe in ourselves. “I thought Scott McNiven was excellent, Matthew Tipton gave us a bit extra going forward and the front two of Mark Allott and Steve Whitehall worked their socks off. “But I could go through all the players because they worked for each other and I’m proud of them. “I’m just sorry it needed a local derby, and maybe Neil Warnock coming back, to spark us into something extra. “We set our stall out right away, played good football when we were allowed to and, for once, we were up for the battle.

“I’m still disappointed that Bury had the chances they did. One of our many problems is a lack of concentration in certain situations and we are working on that in training. “But this improvement started at Gillingham last week when we didn’t get what we deserved. Now we mustn’t let our standards drop.” Ritchie hailed Allott’s opening goal as one of the best he had seen for a long time. He added: “Lee Duxbury’s goal was also excellent because it’s hard to control those shots when the goalkeeper is rushing out. We aren’t used to seeing finesse from Du!” For Warnock, it was a desperately disappointing day. As well as being beaten, he was jeered by large sections of the Athletic crowd and, at the other end of the ground, a minority of Bury fans were calling for him to be sacked. “Andy Ritchie didn’t have to do any motivating today,” he reflected. “My coming back here did all that for him. “I think the Oldham lads wanted to show me what they could do, but their problem is that I won’t be here every week. “It will be interesting to see what they do now because they need to find that same motivation for every game. “But they took the goals well and I have no complaints. I thought Paul Reid was superb for us, but the only way we would have scored today is if Gary Kelly had come out of his goal and lay down on the floor.”

Graham comeback going well