18th September 2000   

Latics youngster in court

ATHLETIC’S Canadian contingent is set to grow this week with the capture of experienced centre-back Mark Watson. They plan to tie 30-year-old Watson — an international team-mate of Carlo Corazzin — to a one-month contract, with a view to signing him in a long-term deal. The six-foot defender was a mainstay of Oxford’s team last season, but refused to sign again when the club asked him to quit international football. He has been without a club since then and, if the formalities are completed in time, could make his Athletic debut at Bournemouth next weekend. 

Watson trained at Boundary Park last month, at a time when new signings were ruled out by financial constraints. Athletic have since sold Stuart Thom and Paul Beavers, and also sent Steve Whitehall on loan to Chester, giving manager Andy Ritchie more room for manoeuvre. He has already drafted in Crewe’s Chris Lightfoot, who played the first match of his loan spell in Saturday’s goalless draw with Bristol City. Another defender, also with a first division club, is being lined up for a similar move. Ritchie is making major efforts to shore up Athletic’s backline following their plunge into the relegation zone. But another key player was added to the injury list on Saturday when Paul Rickers suffered a sickening injury to his leg. Rickers made a brave last-minute tackle, only for his opponent’s studs to rip through the skin and into his thigh muscle. He had eight stitches in his thigh, plus another in his knee, and could be out of action for a month. 

Said Ritchie: “Paul’s leg is a bit of a mess. He is going to have to work hard on the muscle so he doesn’t end up with knee problems when he comes back. “It’s another setback, but we’ll have to make the best of things and rely on other players to come through for us.” Andrew Holt missed Saturday’s game with a dead leg and is again rated doubtful for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow night. Former Hillsborough star John Sheridan hoped to recover from his knee injury in time for the Worthington Cup second-round, first-leg tie. But Athletic’s playmaker has had to lower his sights and is now targeting next Wednesday’s return match. Admission prices for tomorrow have been cut to £10 for adults and £5 for juniors and OAPs. 

ANOTHER match, another day of frustration — but this was a vast improvement from lowly Athletic. Apart from their finishing, Andy Ritchie’s men finally resembled a team capable of stopping the early-season rot. The grim statistics now read two points from a possible 21 and only one goal in 398 minutes of league football. There were reasons to be cheerful, however, not least in defence where they cut out the horrendous individual errors and recorded their first clean sheet of the second-division campaign. As stalemates go, this was a decent contest with some enterprising play and no shortage of action at either end. Bristol City goalkeeper Steve Phillips made a string of fine saves, while his side were unlucky to see two efforts come back off the woodwork. Given both sides’ recent form — City had lost their last four in the league and are enduring a torrid time in front of goal — the outcome shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Athletic’s next job is to end their depressing run of games without a win. Almost a fifth of the season has already gone and the need to taste victory is becoming ever more urgent. With the debut-making Chris Lightfoot at the heart of defence and Scott McNiven back to something like his best, Athletic were infinitely more solid than in the midweek debacle at Reading. And that allowed the rest of the side to play with more confidence. It earned them possession in greater quantity, not to mention better positions. Moreover, they often made good use of it. At the sharp end, however, Athletic remained woefully wasteful, allowing City to sneak a point when they could have been out of it. The chief culprit was Mark Allott, who squandered two clear openings and has now failed to find the net in nine games. A vital element of goalscoring is anticipation and, as his drought stretches on, Allott’s is waning at the same speed as his confidence.

He is reacting, rather than making things happen. In short, the striker needs to gamble more. But it would be unfair to single him out — team-mates including Mark Innes, Carlo Corazzin and Matthew Tipton were also culpable when presented with their chance to break the deadlock. After Andrew Holt was ruled out by a dead leg, Athletic were forced to make more changes to the side. Midfielder Innes played at left wing-back and Mark Hotte was dropped to accommodate Lightfoot, on a month’s loan from Crewe. The 6ft 1in Lightfoot was a success before going off with fatigue, while it was good to see Innes make his liveliest contribution for some time. The Scot isn’t a wing-back who will career past his marker, but his industry was excellent and his crossing a regular source of concern for the visitors. City went agonisingly close after only eight minutes when Ivan Tistimetanu crossed from the left and Peter Beadle’s powerful header crashed back off the post. After heaving a big sigh of relief, Athletic came back strongly as Innes delivered some awkward balls into the box without reward.

Though Corazzin was also looking a handful, it was a set-piece which brought his side’s first serious effort, after 24 minutes, when Danny Boshell’s 30-yard free-kick was palmed away by Phillips. Moments later, Athletic were wondering how they failed to score from Neil Adams’ wicked right-wing cross. Innes reached it at the far post, only for Phillips to make a tremendous reflex save from his point-blank header. Then, as City threw bodies at everything, the ‘keeper was up in a flash to somehow keep out Allott’s follow-up shot. The incident summed up Athletic’s current plight. While Phillips deserves praise for his inspirational work, they simply aren’t getting the breaks they so desperately need. Nor, however, are they clinical enough — a fact illustrated by Corazzin when he shot straight at the goalkeeper from the next move of the match.

City hit the woodwork for a second time when Scott Murray’s ambitious angled drive clipped the crossbar from the corner of the box. But Athletic blew another glorious chance when Corazzin sent Allott clean through with a perfectly-timed pass. Allott charged into the area with purpose, only to shoot too close to Phillips and allow him to make another agile save. There was a blow for City on the stroke of half-time when midfield man Paul Holland was carried off in obvious agony after twisting his knee in a tackle. Yet they could have grabbed the lead in the 47th minute as Brian Tinnion fed Murray, who failed to get in a shot from a dangerous position. Tony Thorpe also went close, his close-range effort bringing a good block from Gary Kelly, and a fluctuating contest still looked to have a goal or two in store. Tistimetanu blazed wildly over in the 70th minute after Beadle found him in space, while, at the other end, Lee Duxbury’s volley was deflected just wide. Athletic had strong penalty appeals ignored when Adams and Andrew Jordan tangled while chasing Tipton’s reverse pass.

Phillips denied Corazzin and Boshell before Tipton became the latest guilty party, failing to connect with a cross as the ’keeper scrambled along his line. In injury time, Kelly again came to Athletic’s rescue by keeping out a shot from Thorpe. It ensured justice was done for both sides and earned Athletic a much-needed platform on which to build their recovery.

AFTER Athletic ended their bleak run of three consecutive defeats, Andy Ritchie admitted he was happy with a point. The Boundary Park boss praised his side’s defensive strength, but stressed that the search for new blood would continue. “It was better, although not by much,” Ritchie conceded. “We didn’t play particularly well and we didn’t play particularly badly, but it was important we didn’t lose. “It wasn’t a classic and we still weren’t as smooth as we can be, but we had some great chances and, on the balance of those, we should have won. “Mark Allott could have had eight goals this season — he is hitting the target without bulging the net — so we just have to keep his chin up and make sure he doesn’t get depressed about it.

“I thought we should have had a penalty for handball in the first half and, in the second, there were two more when Carlo Corazzin was blatantly pushed and Neil Adams was virtually elbowed in the face as he went through. “The referee was right on the spot both times, but these things just don’t seem to go our way. “We had to make a change because of Andrew Holt’s injury and the left-hand side is an area we need to strengthen. “But Mark Innes was excellent for 80 minutes. He was out on his feet at the end and it was only then that his concentration started to go. “We don’t have the biggest of squads because of our financial restraints and, when you are on a tight budget, it can take time to bring people in. “We are trying to do it, though, because we still need more experience in the squad.”

Chris Lightfoot, a 30-year-old centre-half on loan from Crewe, was the first of those recruits. And Ritchie was pleased with his 59-minute debut. “Chris did well,” he said. “He helped us to push up and made us a lot more solid. `He hasn’t played many games this season and we knew before we signed him that he was short of full match fitness. “He told us at half-time that he was starting to tire so, when Bristol City were looking a bit dangerous, we took Chris off and used Mark Hotte’s speed instead. “It’s a matter of Chris playing a few games to help him get used to the pace again.

“But I was pleased to see Paul Jones back to the form he can show. And I thought Scott McNiven had his best game for a long time.” As Bristol City were also halting a losing run, it was no surprise that Danny Wilson was equally content with a draw. He said: “Away from home, and especially as Oldham were coming off a 5-0 defeat at Reading, this is a good point.”

AN Oldham Athletic footballer will appear in court on Thursday, charged with drink-driving after his car hit a garden wall. Third-year trainee Mark Donnelly (18, pictured) was treated at the Royal Oldham Hospital after his Ford Escort left the road in Harewood Drive, Royton, early on Sunday. It landed 30ft up the garden, and traffic police found the teenager, from Derbyshire, being cared for by neighbours. He was later taken to Stalybridge Police Station and charged, and will appear at Oldham Magistrates Court.

Bristol Evening Post

BRISTOL CITY midfielder Paul Holland looks set to be ruled out for several weeks after injuring a knee in the goalless draw at Oldham on Saturday. Holland twisted his knee awkwardly shortly before half-time and was stretchered off. Today he was undergoing a scan to try and assess the full extent, although medial ligament and cartilage damage are looking most likely. City boss Danny Wilson said: “It’s a blow. Paul was performing consistently. It’s typical of the way things have been going for us.”

Meanwhile City have been urged to “keep the faith” in the current climate – by former hot-shot Shaun Goater. But the 30-year-old Bermudan, who struck 29 times for present club Manchester City in last year’s promotion success, indicated the departure of manager John Ward almost two years ago was the start of the problems. Goater, watching City on Saturday at the invitation of his big pal Greg Goodridge, insisted: “I was surprised when John left. He knew how to get the best out of the players. “They had 100 per cent belief and trust in him and they have now had to build up a trust again with a succession of bosses.

THE fuel crisis might be over for the time being but Bristol City are still spluttering as they try and end a drought of their own.
Robins fans who have queued at the forecourts for hours on end along with everyone else are having to exercise more patience in the hope their team can hit the road again – and not turn back. In the meantime, Danny Wilson and his men are straining to reach for as many positives as they can from a barren spell on the soccer field. And if that means accepting a goalless draw at Boundary Park on a bleak Saturday afternoon in September, then so be it. Like petrol, plusses have been hard to come by in recent times. Because they are measuring themselves against a run of early-season form that has alarmed spectators and directors alike, City can certainly seek a little solace from their display at Oldham.

Chances were plentiful and the back door, for the first time since the opening-day victory at Wrexham, was kept firmly shut, even though there were the inevitable scares. But reflect for a moment on City’s First Division campaign under John Ward and Benny Lennartsson two seasons back and you’ll quickly realise that very little has changed in that time. How often did Lennartsson make to throw his cap down in frustration after watching City fritter away the points by conceding a last-gasp goal, or watch aghast as chance after chance went begging in front of empty nets? But then, they had the likes of Shaun Goater, an intrigued spectator at Saturday’s match, and Ade Akinbiyi to bail them out at times. Since then, they have struggled in vain to find a genuine matchwinner, relying too heavily on the predatory instincts of Tony Thorpe or the occasional gem from the likes of Brian Tinnion and Scott Murray.

At present, everyone in a City shirt is finding the way to goal blocked by indecision, desperate luck or rank bad finishing – highly frustrating when the approach work is starting to look more brisk and purposeful. There’s the crumb of comfort, but it is just that. Saturday represented yet another wasted opportunity to kick a struggling side where it hurts, in front of Oldham fans growing increasingly impatient with their team’s early showing. There were moments in the second half when City threatened to end their wretched run of results, as they probed threateningly. Peter Beadle went close to doing himself and his team-mates a power of good with a fine early header which struck the post, but there was little joy for either striker again. Murray, again showing bursts of his best, was industrious in taking up good forward positions but couldn’t get that vital, final touch, and the same applied to other midfield players keen to punish a weak side.

Oldham, meanwhile, were also wondering how they didn’t emerge with three points, having seen City’s in-form keeper Steve Phillips pull off another series of brilliant stops, one a classic double save that combined quick-thinking and sheer will-power. The home side also looked bereft of self-belief in front of goal, with shots being scuffed when it looked easier to connect and the final delivery just sailing harmlessly out of play. In the light of City’s campaign to date, this was at least something to build on. Now comes another stern test at Ashton Gate, against Colchester on Saturday. Expectancy levels among fans have plummeted as rapidly as fuel levels did. More a begrudging acceptance. But if a four-star performance doesn’t come quickly, Ashton Gate will be as empty as the filling stations have been.