1st February 2000 

Striker in?

ATHLETIC boss Andy Ritchie is closing in on a new striker after identifying his number-one transfer target. The mystery player, who is with a first division club, will sign on loan by the end of the week, providing his manager can afford to let him go. That decision might not come for a couple of days, but Athletic are setting off on Friday afternoon for their weekend match at Millwall and would prefer to have a new man on board before they make the journey. 

As a contingency plan, Ritchie is to watch an FA Premier League reserve match tomorrow night. Young players from leading clubs are often available on loan because they otherwise struggle to earn first-team experience. Athletic took advantage of that to recruit Junior Agogo from Sheffield Wednesday at the start of the season. Ritchie's most likely destinations tomorrow are the games between Aston Villa and Bradford and Middlesbrough and Blackburn. If it's Villa, Ritchie could be renewing his interest in 23-year-old Darren Byfield, whom he failed to sign on loan a year ago. 

The Athletic boss is making his moves because leading scorer Mark Allott was injured on Saturday. At the moment, the only forwards he has available are Steve Whitehall, Matthew Tipton and Ryan Sugden. But Ritchie is hoping those options will be boosted after the reserves' home fixture against Preston tomorrow. Craig Dudley is a possible starter for the game, which will go ahead provided there is no downpour beforehand. Last weekend's match against Oxford had to pass a pitch inspection due to heavy rain, while Oldham Roughyeds' Challenge Cup tie, which was set for 24 hours later, was postponed.

Allott setback puts Tipton on his toes

IN football, one man’s injury can be another man’s big chance — and now is the time for Matthew Tipton to grab the spotlight. Unless Athletic bring in a striker on loan, it looks as though Mark Allott’s hamstring pull will give Tipton the chance for an uninterrupted run of first-team action. The Wales under-21 star has never had more than five consecutive starts and, this season, has usually had to make do with 20 minutes or so as a substitute. Although he has come on no fewer than 19 times, as well as starting a further five games, he has yet to add to the two goals he notched last term. Now, with Allott ruled out for a month, Tipton is set to become half of a new-look strike pairing alongside Steve Whitehall. He does have one immediate threat as he tries to stake a claim, but Craig Dudley is behind him due to a lack of full match fitness.

Athletic had sky-high hopes for Tipton, who joined them as a trainee and immediately stood out thanks to his goalscoring record. There is still good reason to believe he can be top class but, even at the tender age of 19, he needs to take the next step forward into regular league football. Manager Andy Ritchie said: “You don’t always get time to settle into a team, so you have to take your chance quickly. “Matthew has been playing well in the reserves, so I’ve had no worries about keeping him in the squad and giving him a go.” Ironically, just as Athletic need a centre-forward, Tipton has begun to look like something other than an out-and-out goalscorer. He was originally viewed as a player who was at his best inside the box but, since then, has begun to do his most productive work when dropping off defenders or finding space out wide. The Bridgend-born youngster has been tried on the flanks and plays much of his reserve-team football in that position, creating chances as often as he gets on the end of them. He is one of the most skilful men on Athletic’s books and, as his career develops, could well fill the kind of role taken by Peter Beardsley and Teddy Sheringham, drifting anywhere across the front line and slotting in behind one or two main strikers.

Ritchie confirmed: “I’ve had a chat with him about his style of play and we do feel he’s better coming from a bit deeper. “That might turn out to be his best position because, with his back to goal, he hasn’t been playing as well as he can. “If he’s getting forward from a few different positions — rather than just playing right up there — he could offer something else. “He plays with both feet so, although he prefers the left because it allows him to come inside, he could actually fit in on either side of midfield.” In the meantime, as a straight replacement for Allott, Tipton will be keen to show his true goalscoring promise to a wider audience. He has hit seven for the reserves this season and would surely benefit from an early senior strike in order to cement his place. A goal would lift his confidence, make him feel a more central figure and ward off threats both from new signings and recovering team-mates. It might also help him with one of the most difficult tasks any footballer can face — the quest to fulfil potential.

STORMING INTO ACTION . . .

FIERCE winds left Athletic’s game against Oxford under threat on Saturday. One of the panels which makes up the Boundary Park scoreboard was loosened and, with the gales continuing to blow, was a threat to both supporters and players. Oldham Council sent out an emergency street lighting team, who repaired the damage with help from a member of Athletic’s ground staff. The go-ahead for the match — which also underwent a pitch inspection at noon — was eventually given at around 2pm.

Chirpy Chaddy causes a flutter

REVEALED! These are the two sides of Kevin Williams: actor, singer, aspiring author . . . and six-foot synthetic owl. Kevin is the new man behind Chaddy, Athletic’s lively mascot and a bird with a habit of ruffling feathers. Since the start of the season, Chaddy has been hit with warnings from the FA, the police and a referee who — somehow or other — kept confusing him with a linesman! He has pledged to keep on having fun and, like many other mascots throughout the league, is fast becoming a personality in his own right. The craze for men and women (most of whom are perfectly normal people) donning outsize costumes at football matches is gathering pace all the time. There have been several famous incidents, with Cyril The Swansea Swan being hauled before the FA, brawls breaking out on the touchline and Preston’s Deepdale Duck falling `fowl’ of Tim Flowers by leaning on the goalpost when Preston were attacking. And Chaddy himself has got up to some mischief, not least when Reading were given a penalty at Boundary Park. Chaddy, showing his true colours as a Latics fan, promptly stood behind the goal and flapped his wings for all he was worth.

The referee’s report on the game noted his antics and, when the Football Association contacted Athletic, they asked that Chaddy have his wings clipped for trying to put off the penalty taker. He was also ticked off by the police — although he did avoid being brought before the beak — and was then involved in a bizarre episode when Stoke came to town in the Auto Windscreens Shield. Referee Trevor Jones spoke to Chaddy after deciding it was hard to tell who was who between the owl and the linesman, who was dressed in black and carrying a yellow flag. No, this was not the game played in fog. But Chaddy still had to agree that he would stay away from the touchlines. Chaddy, whose plumage is soon to be revamped, is also breaking into showbusiness. He has made an aerobics video — in full costume — with Burnley’s Bertie Bee, the Deepdale Duck and Sport For Schools’ Funky Monkey. The video was part of a drive to promote sport among children and copies are now circulating around schools. He is also branching out into Athletic’s away matches, appears on pre-match photographs and, just in case he is needed by Andy Ritchie, keeps fit by joining in all the players’ warm-up routines.

Outside the costume, the real-life Chaddy has acted in television shows and is currently trying to find a publisher for his children’s books. Until about a year ago, 23-year-old Kevin had a recording contract with an offshoot of Creation Records, the label who made stars of Oasis. Kevin is a long-standing Athletic fan and his father, Chris, runs the Boundary Park School of Excellence. Kevin said: “The costume is hot and heavy. The first time I wore it I was aching for days. “And the visibility is pretty bad, as well. All I can see from inside are 22 blurs running around in the distance. “I begged the club to give me a chance at the start of the season because I knew no-one else would be doing it. “It can be harder than it looks, but it’s brilliant fun, especially when the little kids get involved.”

Danny rising through ranks

DANNY BOSHELL’S promotion to first-team duty has proved once again that Athletic are keen to fast-track their brightest young stars. Although 18-year-old Boshell didn’t make the bench against Oxford on Saturday, he was named in the matchday squad and picked up priceless experience simply from being involved. The teenager has played several times for the youth team this season, but it is his rapid progress in the reserves which has caught the eye. He has a good range of passing, scores goals from midfield and is a consistent member of the successful Pontins League line-up. Boshell’s call-up suggests he has edged ahead of Danny Walsh in the midfield pecking order. Walsh, who is three years older, has made one senior appearance this term and been an unused substitute in four other games.

Manager Andy Ritchie said: “If they are good enough, they are old enough, although you need to make sure the young lads who come in don’t do themselves any damage. “There’s always the potential danger that someone is thrown into the first-team picture and finds they are out of their depth. “That just demoralises them, so you have to think carefully about the person you are bringing in. “We knew Danny Boshell was the confident type who wouldn’t be fazed by it, so we decided to involve him on Saturday. “It’s a boost for Danny and will help him feel that he’s making progress. “He’s only a young lad, but he has done well and his performance in the reserves last week was exceptional. “We aren’t afraid to promote any young lad who shows up well in the reserves because, even if they don’t make the team or the subs’ bench, it’s a reward. “What they have to do next is say `It’s good to be involved like this. I’m keeping my head down and working because I want to do it more often’.” 

Looking further ahead, Athletic are hoping Boshell will develop into a John Sheridan-style creative midfielder. It is perhaps unfair to make such a lavish comparison so early in his career, but his game has a similar pattern to that of the midfield veteran. When Sheridan does eventually retire — a time which could still be over two seasons away — Athletic will have to fill a massive void in their squad. Ritchie feels both Boshell and Walsh are good prospects and also believes that Phil Salt, who is now recovering from ankle surgery, has the talent to make a team tick. Now that the door has been nudged open, Boshell is aiming to become the 16th home-produced player to be used by Athletic this season. Amazingly, the Bradford-born youngster would also be the 11th Yorkshireman.

Mark Hotte and Ryan Sugden also hail from Bradford, while the other cross-Pennine raiders have been Richard Graham, Stuart Thom and Paul Rickers (all Dewsbury), Ian McLean, Scott McNiven and David McNiven (all Leeds), Lee Duxbury (Keighley) and Salt (Huddersfield).

Harris eyes Latics clash