MARK INNES has the chance to cast off his early-season blues tonight when Athletic field a reserve side packed with first-team hopefuls. Innes, who was the discovery of last season, is now out of favour after a disappointing start to the new campaign. He lines up in a team featuring at least eight players who have a chance of making the squad for Saturday's second division match at Bristol Rovers. The Scot turns 21 a week on Monday and is keen to earn himself an early birthday present by putting pressure on his replacement, Matthew Tipton. Tipton played on the left-hand side of midfield on Saturday and his attacking instincts gave Athletic a much sharper edge.

The Wales under-21 star looks certain to keep his place, but Innes is aware of the need to quickly recapture his sparkling form of last term. Manager Andy Ritchie said: "I have spoken to Mark and he knows he has had an in-and-out start. "That often happens with younger players because they can arrive on the scene with a blaze of glory before hitting a few indifferent games. "It can do them good to be out of the side for a few weeks to get their confidence back in the reserves. "Mark accepts that situation and I'm hoping he will soon start pushing on again." The Pontins League match at home to Huddersfield (7 pm) is also a chance for Stuart Thom to stake his claim for a recall. The defender is on his way back from a broken toe and, as Athletic are still unsure about the extent of Shaun Garnett's abdominal strain, he could be needed for the trip to the West Country. Richard Graham continues his recuperation by playing in midfield, while full-back Ian McLean and striker Ryan Sugden will also be out to impress.

The same applies to David McNiven and Phil Salt, both of whom were unceremoniously dumped from the senior squad two games ago. Striker Paul Beavers is still troubled by an Achilles injury and is likely to be out for at least another week. Reserves: Miskelly, Clitheroe, McLean, Thom, Futcher, Hotte, Salt, Graham, Sugden, D McNiven, Innes. Subs (from): Campbell, Walsh, Boshell, Swan, Wardle, Wharton.

ANDY RITCHIE raised a few eyebrows last month when he hinted that the return of striker Steve Whitehall would be the catalyst for an Athletic recovery. After all, how can you pin your hopes on a centre-forward who managed only four goals in his first season with the club? But, on the evidence so far, the manager was spot on with his assessment. Whitehall made a big difference as an early substitute at Gillingham last week and, against Bury on Saturday, was a pivotal figure in that long-awaited first win. Athletic have scored three times in the relatively brief time Whitehall has been on the pitch. By previous standards, that represents a change from drought conditions to flash flood. And, just as important, the 32-year-old’s recovery from ankle surgery has added much-needed experience to a squad of strikers who are still in their footballing nappies.

What the doubters fail to realise is that Whitehall’s game has never focused exclusively on finding the net. While that may be the key element of his job description, he has responsibility for linking play by dropping deep or drifting wide. His portfolio also includes leaving the danger area to others in order to take corners and free kicks — a task the traditional goal poacher would never dream of taking on. So, though his meagre return of last season was a disappointing one, Whitehall has returned to first-team action with confidence still on his side. “Because we weren’t creating many chances, it didn’t really bother me that I wasn’t scoring,” he said. “You only start to think there’s something wrong when someone else is scoring 25 goals while you end up with four. “And I’m a bit too long in the tooth to worry about those things, anyway.

“There are good times and bad times for every player. The most important target for the team, the squad and the club as a whole is that we turn things round as quickly as possible.” Whitehall, a £40,000 signing from Mansfield, is hoping a summer operation to remove excessive bone from his ankle will end the injury problems which have dogged his time with Athletic. He entered the professional game with Rochdale at the age of 24 — previously working as a civil servant while turning out for Southport — and is keen to extend his late-developing career for as long as possible. “It spurs me on to think I’ll probably go back to doing a full day’s work when I finish playing,” he said. “There’s no substitute for experience, but we are a young squad and we just have to cope with that. We have to grow up fast. “As one of the older players, I do feel there’s expectation on me personally, but I like to think there’s more to my game than just scoring goals.

“The forwards tend to do a lot outside the box — which is probably one of the reasons we don’t score many from six yards — and if you are playing a part in a winning team you are at least doing part of your job.” Fitness and form permitting, Ritchie is likely to favour Whitehall and Mark Allott as his first-choice front pairing. The partnership worked well on Saturday when Allott enjoyed the enormous lift of crashing home a shot from 25 yards. The 21-year-old finished as eight-goal leading marksman last season and is pleased to be reunited with Whitehall. He said: “Steve’s work rate is different class and he uses his experience well. “For someone like me who has only been playing for a couple of seasons, it’s a big help having him there. “The forwards have been getting a bit of hammer and I’ve been frustrated at not scoring, but we are all in it together and the dressing room has been great. “The goal against Bury was the best I have scored, so I’m hoping it will set myself and the team on a bit of a run.” Having criticised his strikers for most of the campaign, the chance to sing their praises made a welcome change for Ritchie. He said: “I keep on at Mark to be more positive and he did that on Saturday. The goal typified his performance. “There are times when he picks up the ball and has the chance to go past people and I want him to do that because he has the ability. “Steve also did well and he worked extremely hard.“It was good to see them play like that — it was the front two who gave us the impetus we have been needing.”

Gary Kelly has been in prime form during Athletic’s dreadful start to the season, often keeping his side in contention with saves right out of the top drawer. And, as well as keeping him in the running for the Republic of Ireland squad, Kelly’s heroics have earned him a double reward. Based on player ratings in the first month of the season, Match magazine has made him the second division’s joint player of the month. Sharing the title is a man Athletic are due to face this weekend, Bristol Rovers defender Andy Thomson. Kelly’s second honour was to be named Lookers player of the month for August.

LATICS youth coach David Cross slammed the under-19s’ 1-0 defeat at Bury on Saturday as “the worst performance I can remember”. Having taken an early second place in the North-West section of the Football League Youth Alliance, the youngsters failed to live up to their promise and were never in the match. Athletic fielded six first-year professionals, but they could easily have gone down by more than one goal. That effort came from a corner after half an hour and Cross said: “I was very disappointed and the players themselves knew it was unacceptable.” There was also bad news for the under-18s, who lost 2-1 at Everton in a friendly. Though Jon Froggatt scored a consolation goal, the match was marred when Athletic trainee Liam Clark suffered a badly-broken leg.

Stuart Thom, as expected, has been named in the reserve squad that will take on Huddersfield this evening at Boundary Park. The big defender has missed the last six games with a broken toe. Fellow centre back Richard Graham and striker Steve Whitehall are also included in the squad. Both have just started their comebacks following surgery and need extra games to improve their match sharpness. The full squad is: Miskelly, Clitheroe, McLean, Thom, Futcher, Hotte, Salt, Graham, Sugden, David McNiven, Innes, Walsh, Campbell, Boshell, Wardle, Swan and Wharton.