17th August 2000
17th August 2000 NEIL ADAMS and John Sheridan remain injury worries as Athletic prepare for Saturday’s league match at Walsall. Manager Andy Ritchie is hoping the pair, Athletic’s senior statesmen, will recover from niggles picked up in the opening-day win against Port Vale. Wing-back Adams, who gave a dazzling display on Saturday, retired early from the proceedings suffering from a groin strain. Sheridan, Athletic’s midfield orchestrator in the 4-1 victory, picked up knee and back injuries. Ritchie says neither injury is serious, but he is wary at this early stage of the campaign of them being aggravated and the pair being ruled out for a longer period.
The
Athletic manager would, ideally, like to name an unchanged side, believing
if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. Ritchie is also waiting for the return
of Carlo Corazzin from international duty with Canada. He
is hoping the striker, who has already become a huge hit in his short time
at Boundary Park, arrives back injury free and not jaded following Canada’s
World Cup qualifier in Mexico. Striker
Paul Beavers, pushed further down the pecking order by Corazzin’s arrival,
has completed a temporary transfer to Darlington. Beavers, who has been
transfer-listed by Athletic, will spend a fortnight at Feethams. Latics
striker Matthew Tipton is on stand-by for Wales under-21s for the UEFA
championship qualifier in Belarus on September 1.
Allott delighted with new deal Striker Mark
Allott has spoken of his relief at agreeing a new contract to keep him
at Boundary Park. The 22-year-old has insisted: "I never wanted to leave,"
and has now pledged himself to the Latics cause for the next three years
and he couldn't be happier. Allott was out of contract during the summer
and when the club and player couldn't reach agreement on a new deal it
looked as though he might be on his way out of Boundary Park where he had
found himself since leaving school. He thought long and hard about his
future and went to see boss Andy Ritchie to tell him he wanted to be a
part of his plans. Two days later a deal was done. Middleton-based Allott
explained: "I wasn't panicking but, with the new season coming up, I was
thinking about what might happen. "I was asking for a bit more money but
certainly nothing like the figures some people have mentioned. "When we
started talking again we met in the middle and I must say the club has
been very good. "It had been dragging on too long and, to be honest, I
just wanted to sort it out. I now have security and the peace of mind that
goes with it and I can get on with the job of doing my best for Oldham
Athletic. "I love the place and I wasn't looking to leave."
Miskelly earns
call up Goalkeeper
David Miskelly has been called up to the Northern Ireland under 21 squad
to face Malta on September 1st. The World Cup qualifier in Belfast means
that the Latics second choice keeper will be unavailable for the games
against Colchester United on August 29th and Notts County at Boundary Park
on August 2nd.
In the Oldham
game, Byfield will be competing with £150,000 Portuguese striker
Jorge Leitao to play alongside Brett Angell, who hit two goals at Millmoor.
Leitao may need a little more time to settle into the pace of English soccer.
Midfielders Darren Wrack and Dean Keates also impressed Graydon in the
reserve match last night and they are likely to start on the bench on Saturday.
Transfer-listed striker Andy Rammell, fit again after a muscle strain near
his ribs, played in the second half at York and suffered no ill effects.
Now he is back in action several interested clubs are expected to put in
bids for the aggressive front-runner.
From
THE TIMES
WHEN Oldham
Athletic turned out last season sporting the word "Slumberland" across
their chests, it drew attention to how much of a sleepy backwater of the
Nationwide League Boundary Park had become since the days when it staged
top division football. That,
for those with short memories, was as recently as 1994. Oldham were founder
members of the Premier League and held on for two seasons under Joe Royle
before slipping out of the top flight shortly after losing a heartbreaking
FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United. By 1997, Oldham had slid into the
second division, with little cash to spend on team strengthening and J.
W. Lees & Co., the major shareholders, reluctant to invest. When Andy
Ritchie took over as manager in May 1998, it seemed to be another case
of a local hero being invited to tarnish his reputation in front of those
who had idolised him. The
low point was reached as the Latics began last season with five successive
defeats and no goals. At the time, Ritchie remained confident that his
passing game would bear fruit, but, as a former striker who had regularly
put looks and limb at risk, the failure of his forwards to get in where
it hurt was galling. "I
want a player to come into the dressing-room with a big grass burn up his
leg, or a couple of stitches in his head, but with a goal or two in the
net," he said at the time. Oldham
opened this campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory over Port Vale on Saturday.
For Ritchie, the slick passing display must have been just as pleasing
as the third goal. Carlo Corazzin, the Canada international forward making
his debut after signing from Northampton Town, hurled himself into a ruck
of players to bundle the ball in - in stark contrast to the feeble efforts
seen a year ago. "He is a quality international striker and he was so determined
to score he took everything except the kitchen sink over the line with
him," Ritchie said. "It
was an excellent way to start off," he said of the biggest victory of his
managerial career. "But we need to bring them back to earth quickly this
week and get down to some serious business." Ritchie
was pleased to note the contribution of Neil Adams. Playing his first game
since February, in a new wing-back position, Adams scored the first goal,
volleying in a cross from Andrew Holt, the other wing-back, while his corner
kicks laid on the second and fourth goals and his cross set up Corazzin's
effort. Off
the field, too, things are looking up. Last November, three of the club's
directors took over Lees's shareholding, meaning that the club's destiny
is now in its own hands, and a company is being formed with the aim of
redeveloping Boundary Park - Slumberland, perhaps, no longer.
BBC Sport
Walsall
will be without Tony Barras and Chris Marsh, and Oldham have a slight doubt
over John Sheridan for the match at the Bescot Stadium. Key defender Tony
Barras will miss the game as he serves the second match of his two-game
suspension. Defender Chris Marsh will be out until November but there are
no other injury concerns for the game. Oldham's John Sheridan is a doubt
as they prepare for their trip to Walsall, but Carlo Corazzin returns to
the squad after a spell on international duty with Canada. Boss Andy Ritchie
is hoping to make few changes to the side that beat Port Vale 4-1 but is
waiting to see whether Sheridan can shake off a slight knock. Steve Whitehall,
Craig Dudley and Scott McNiven could all be added to the squad.
Teamtalk
Oldham
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