17th March 2000
17th March 2000 ANDY RITCHIE has admitted he is in a quandary as he ponders his team selection for Athletic's home match tomorrow against Bristol City. The Athletic manager must decide whether to change his defence to accommodate the returning Shaun Garnett and Richard Graham. It is a dilemma because, in their absence, Athletic kept a clean sheet in last Saturday's goalless draw at Wycombe, where they defended superbly. What is clear is that central defenders Garnett and Graham are by no means guaranteed a starting spot, despite their vast experience. Graham could, however, be given a place in midfield such is his versatility. Scott McNiven, Mark Hotte and Paul Jones, Athletic's three central defenders at Wycombe, emerged with great distinction last Saturday and Ritchie admitted it won't be an easy decision.
"I am going to think things over for another day and there are a number of permutations I can use," Ritchie explained. Garnett was suspended last Saturday, while Graham was ruled out by a groin strain sustained in bizarre circumstances after slipping in the garden while playing football with his young son. Ritchie wants a more ruthless approach from his team tomorrow after seeing them win only one of the last eight league matches. He said: "We have drawn our last two matches at Bury and Wycombe, but really should have picked up three points each time. "We have been creating chances but are unable to finish them off at the moment."
ATHLETIC (from): Kelly, S McNiven, Holt, Duxbury, Rickers, Sheridan, Whitehall, Innes, Dudley, Hotte, Jones, Garnett, Graham, Miskelly, Thom, Boshell, Beavers, Futcher.
Bristol City's run of three straight league defeats has coincided with a crop of injuries. But caretaker manager Tony Fawthrop welcomes back the vastly-experienced Peter Beadle and Brian Tinnion tomorrow.
BRISTOL CITY (from): Phillips, Burnell, Carey, Millen, Hill, Murray, Tistimetanu, Burns, Clist, Spencer, Thorpe, Tinnion, Beadle, Meechan, Hewlett, Jordan, Amankwaah, Wright.
ATHLETIC
goalkeeper David Miskelly has been named in the Northern Ireland under-21
squad for a friendly in Malta on March 28.
Play-offs
bid takes back seat AS
Bristol becomes gripped by Wembley fever, Athletic will be hoping the thoughts
of the City players may be elsewhere at Boundary Park tomorrow. It
is only three days since City clinched their place in the final of the
Auto Windscreens Shield with a 5-1 aggregate win against Exeter in the
southern final. After the euphoria of
Tuesday night — even though it was only at Exeter — the Robins must concentrate
what must appear to be a mundane league match involving two mid-table teams. City
have lost their last three league matches, so have thoughts of Wembley
already become a distraction? With those
defeats City’s hopes of winning a play-off place have, barring a miracle,
disappeared. They are 12 points adrift of the top six with only 10 league
matches remaining. While Wembley provides
a great day out for the fans and a welcome source of revenue, City’s main
objective is to win back their first division status at the first time
of asking. And until those three costly
league defeats against Millwall, Chesterfield and Gillingham, a top-six
finish appeared feasible.
Caretaker
manager Tony Fawthrop, who succeeded Tony Pulis who quit to take charge
of Portsmouth in January, said: “The bad run has coincided with having
six or seven injuries to key players. “The
young lads we have brought in have done well, but it’s hard to carry four
18-year-olds in your side, though the long-term future looks bright. “We
have a lot work to do to qualify for the play-offs, but won’t give up until
it is mathematically impossible to do so.” Fawthrop
admits the Wembley factor is hard to dismiss. “I
don’t think God could succeed in doing that. Everybody here is speaking
about the final and there is no way you can forget about it,” he said. Fawthrop
had enjoyed a successful honeymoon as City went 15 league and cup matches
without defeat after he took charge along with reserve-team manager Leroy
Rosenior and academy director David Burnside — the former England youth
team coach — in a three strong management team. The
early success helped earn Fawthrop (57), who was chief scout until his
unexpected elevation, the divisional manager-of-the-month award for February. But
true to form it proved a jinx with City losing all three of their league
matches this month.
Looking
ahead to Wembley, Fawthrop, who was chief scout at Leeds and recommended
Brighton’s Andy Ritchie to then manager Eddie Gray, said: “It will be a
proud moment and something I never imagined would happen. “There
are many players and managers who never get the opportunity.” City
have been down the avenue of spending big — well, by first and second division
standards — and it has got them nowhere. Pulis
brought in eight players in his six months in charge, but was unable mould
them into a side capable of mounting a promotion charge as they attempted
to go straight back up after relegation under Swede Benny Lennartsson. The
new players included the Chesterfield pair of goalkeeper Billy Mercer and
Paul Holland who cost a combined £500,000, but who are both currently
out injured. Now City are pursuing a
similar road to Athletic in turning to youth. Four
members of their successful academy side are expected to feature tomorrow
at Boundary Park. They are midfield player
Simon Clist, right back Joe Burnell, striker Kevin Amankwaah and left-back
Matt Hill. The early-season sales of
striker Ade Akinbiyi and Jim Brennan — the Canadian international left-back
— to Wolves and Nottingham Forest respectively for a total of £5million
helped put the finances back on an even keel. Hungarian
international defender Vilmos Seebok — another of their big earners— has
been loaned to a club in Germany as a cost-cutting measure. City,
despite their mediocre league campaign, did have the distinction of having
the last unbeaten home record. It stretched
17 matches until last Saturday’s defeat by Gillingham.
But now his career is upwardly mobile once again, and the next step up is a full international squad. "I'd love to get a full cap. Any player would," he said. "I'm sure most players who play in the Premier League want to represent their country. "But I'd like to think my first aim is to get a couple of seasons under my belt at Everton. Then, as long as I'm playing well on a regular basis we'll see what happens. "I've just turned 27, so I've got three years of hard work before I'm supposedly at a goalkeeper's peak." While Gerrard won't enter Kevin Keegan's consciousness in the shake-up for this summer's European Championships, the next World Cup Finals in 2002 is not an outrageous hope. Current international incumbents David Seaman and Nigel Martyn are ageing thirty-something's. At the other end of the age scale are bright young things Richard Wright, Nicky Weaver and Steve Simonsen.
But in between, the only Englishmen harbouring realistic England hopes are 29-year-old unreliable Ian Walker, and the equally erratic David James, who turns 30 this year. If Gerrard can show the sparkling form he showed earlier this season on a consistent basis, he could make an unexpected step up. After a month on the sidelines with an ill-timed groin strain, Gerrard displaced Norwegian international Thomas Myhre as soon as he was declared fit again. "I was just pleased to get through the game at Chelsea without any after affects," he explained. "I thought we deserved a draw and I thought I did reasonably well. "The gaffer never really said anything to me in the build-up to the game, but you always hope as soon as you're fit again you'll get the nod. "I'm just happy he had the faith in me to put me straight back in and hopefully I can recapture the form I showed earlier in the season."
Competition for places among the Goodison goalkeepers has been intense this season, with England Under-21 international Steve Simonsen also eager for first team experience. "The competition for places here can only help us," added Gerrard. "There are three of us coming in for training with Chris Woods every day and I think we are all pushing each other. "If you're not the best out of the three you don't play, it's as simple as that at the moment. "It pushes you and makes you a better 'keeper. "It was a big step for me coming from Oldham to such a big club as Everton, but I suppose not being in the side to begin with allowed me to adjust. "Now I have got my chance I really have to take it." And hope that the England coach is watching . . .
Stu faces Latics exit
He
is captain of the reserves and scored the winner in midweek against Northampton.
City boss Tony Fawthrop confirmed Jordan will probably start and said:
“Keith has been playing through injury like a lot of others have. “Like
with Billy Mercer, it’s reached a period when he just needs a break. “He
felt the Achilles again after 15 minutes at Exeter but he played the captain’s
role to help see us safely through. “He’s a battler but if we continue
to push him through we risk losing him for the season.” Brian Tinnion has
given City a boost by declaring himself fit after his hamstring problem
and looks likely to return to his familiar left-sided duties. With Mickey
Bell still absent with stitches in a leg wound, Matt Hill should continue
at left-back. While Moldovan Tistimetanu, who is away on international
duty next weekend so misses City’s home match with Brentford, has been
dropped, midfield partner John Burns will continue, providing an injection
in his ankle has the right effect. Aaron Brown and Simon Clist compete
for the other central midfield spot with Scott Murray continuing on the
right. Peter Beadle returns to the starting line-up in young Damian Spencer’s
place to partner Tony Thorpe.
While
caretaker boss Tony Fawthrop is as eager as the rest to see three points
secured tomorrow after a three-match run of league defeats, he is more
Bristol Evening
post
ANDREW
JORDAN is ready for lift-off at last tomorrow as Bristol City bid to raise
their own fortunes at Oldham. The 20-year-old is set to partner Louis Carey
in central defence in the absence of skipper Keith Millen, who is out with
a continuing Achilles problem. Midfielder Ivan Tistimetanu loses his place
after a disappointing display at Exeter City on Tuesday night. While
it ends a terrific run of 26 consecutive matches for skipper Millen since
his debut at Stoke in November, it at last opens the door for Jordan to
try and establish himself. The 20-year-old is out of contract at the end
of the season and has made just one start this season, at Nottingham Forest
in the Worthington Cup, where he scored in a 2-1 defeat. His only other
start was against Norwich in the final game of last season. He recently
described his appearances count as “embarrassing” but has a golden
chance now to set his stall out with Millen needing a spell out to recover
fully.
concerned
about the quality of football on show. He stressed: “The prime aim is to
get back to the football we were playing. “I don’t mind us battling teams
out – sometimes you have to do that because of the way they play. “But
we mustn’t forget we want to play and entertain. We coaches down there
are fans too, we love to see the little side-steps, the flicks and bits
of impishness. “We have had a talk about it and somehow we have to
get back to the way we were playing – and play the sort of football crowds
want to see.” Fawthrop added: “The defeat at Millwall completely shook
them. After everyone had been saying how we’re the team to beat, it was
suddenly like hitting a brick wall for the lads. “Now that we have Wembley
in the bag, perhaps we can push on again, though places like Oldham are
never the easiest to go and get a good win.”
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