20th September 1999
20th September 1999 BRISTOL ROVERS 3, OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2
ATHLETIC’S hopes of raising themselves from the foot of the second division died a death at Bristol’s Memorial Ground — but only after one heck of a battle. In an enthralling match packed with goals, missed chances and flowing football, they again showed the spirit they will need to recover from an already grave situation. While a sixth defeat in seven games was a bitter pill to swallow, Athletic could also take comfort from showing an attacking fluency which at times saw them mow through Rovers’ defence like a combine harvester through a pasty. It was at the other end that they had problems, with home strikers Jason Roberts and, in particular, two-goal Jamie Cureton showing why talent scouts have been flocking to the West Country. The result, which lifted Rovers into second place, could have been so different had Neil Adams not fluffed Athletic’s first penalty of the season. The visitors were already a goal up thanks to John Sheridan’s amazing 45-yard free-kick and would surely have secured at least a draw had Adams doubled that lead.
Instead, relieved Rovers hit back with a rapid double of their own. They never relinquished their advantage and might have easily had the points locked away before Athletic threatened to snatch an equaliser in the final 20 minutes. Yet this was spellbinding stuff throughout and a throwback to the days when that favourite old cliché, the five-goal thriller, was used almost on a weekly basis. Apart from the injured Shaun Garnett, Andy Ritchie was able to keep the same players who earned a fine win against Bury, and he was quite right to do so. Having found some spark up front, however, the manager now faces a difficult decision. Does he stand by the policy of playing both Adams and Matthew Tipton — two natural forwards — out wide or should he take a more pragmatic approach when Athletic are on their travels? All will be revealed at Reading on Saturday. Ritchie’s men went in front the first time they ventured into Rovers’ half — and it was a brilliant goal in both its conception and its execution. When a free-kick was awarded for a foul on Steve Whitehall, Sheridan stood over the ball just to the left of goal and at a range which ruled out a shot to any but the most imaginative of players. As Athletic’s big men assembled at the far post, he seemed to take an age to make up his mind. But it was all part of his ingenious ploy and, watching goalkeeper Lee Jones ready himself for a deep cross, Sheridan fooled everyone in the ground by instead whipping a right-foot shot just inside the near post.
Rovers, who had not previously conceded a home league goal, were dazed for a while and Athletic were able to impose themselves on the early stages. The hosts slowly gathered their senses, though, and defender Andy Thomson sounded a warning when he headed a corner against Gary Kelly’s right-hand post. That was the dose of smelling salts Rovers needed and Cureton — last season’s top scorer in the second division — had two great chances soon after. His first effort, from a low cross by Robbie Pethick after left-back Andrew Holt was left exposed, was magnificently tipped on to the bar by Kelly. But the striker should have made no mistake with his second opportunity, aiming his shot straight at the ‘keeper after going clean through. Instead, it was Athletic who had the best chance of all when they were awarded a dubious penalty in the 19th minute. Ronnie Mauge was the offender, referee David Crick deciding that he had hauled Adams to the ground. Adams picked himself up to take the kick, but his shot was too close to Jones, who beat it away diving to his right.
That escape spurred quick-passing Rovers into even more committed action and Adams paid for his penalty blunder after 26 minutes when Thomson appeared on the right wing. The impressive centre-half crossed to the near post where Cureton arrived unmarked to head in from six yards. Four minutes later the agony was compounded following Stuart Thom’s foul on Roberts. Trevor Challis chipped the free-kick to the far post and defender Steve Foster rose to score with an unstoppable downward header. Athletic’s weakness against crosses was again highlighted when the diminutive Cureton headed against the outside of a post and also had a shot scrambled away off Kelly’s shins. When Rovers’ dominance continued after the break, it began to look inevitable that a third goal would come, and it duly arrived in the 59th minute courtesy of the ubiquitous Cureton. The initial threat came from Roberts, who bore down on Kelly from the right-hand side. His low drive was diverted by the lunging Thom, only for the ball to loop up invitingly for Cureton to nod home from a couple of yards. Rovers hit the woodwork for a remarkable fourth time through Roberts, yet Athletic dragged themselves back into the contest in the 70th minute. After Sheridan swung over a corner, Whitehall’s header was deflected on to the crossbar. The ball bounced clear, but Mark Allott spun sharply on the edge of the six-yard box to lash in his third goal of the season. Rovers could have restored their two-goal advantage, especially when Cureton missed his hat-trick chance by firing over an open goal from 25 yards. But Athletic displayed a terrific never-say-die attitude and Tipton’s raking drive was inches away from adding the final twist to a memorable afternoon.
ANDY RITCHIE rued the one that got away after basement club Athletic squandered the chance of their first away point of the campaign. Ritchie was encouraged by the gutsy performance, but admitted Neil Adams’ 19th-minute penalty miss was a crucial turning point in the match. He said: “I would have been a bit annoyed if that penalty had been given against us, but we should have gone 2-0 up. “Although anyone can miss a penalty, we have to start taking more of our chances. “It bothered our lads when that happened, even though it shouldn’t have done. “We were at sixes and sevens for the rest of the half and I thought the goals we gave away were pretty soft. “It was different in the second half. We edged it and maybe a draw would have been a fair result. “I couldn’t fault the lads for effort because everyone gave their all. It wasn’t quite good enough on the day and we shouldn’t be too downhearted. “You are bound to come under pressure at times and it won’t be often that we come up against a front two as lively as Roberts and Cureton.
“But we had worked on things in training and spoke about organisation beforehand. “These are the things we have to iron out and you sometimes wonder whether you said those things at all.” Ritchie was pleased to see his side have so many shots at goal — a dozen in total — and said John Sheridan’s third-minute free-kick was down to quick thinking and the midfield man having an old head. He added that Stuart Thom, who was playing his first game since breaking a toe, had faced a very tough re-introduction. “It was a difficult game for Stuart to come back after such a long lay-off,” Ritchie explained. “I was disappointed with the free-kick he conceded for their second goal, but he got to grips with Roberts more as the game went on.” The Athletic boss agreed that the heart-stopping match could have produced far more than the eventual five goals. He joked: “Their manager (Ian Holloway) said afterwards that he thought football would kill him. “He’s second and we’re bottom — how does he think I feel?”
STEVE WHITEHALL was back on the treatment table today after limping off during Athletic's 3-2 defeat at Bristol Rovers. The experienced striker has only just returned from a long lay-off, but Athletic are confident that his latest problem will clear up in time for Saturday's match at Reading. Manager Andy Ritchie said: "Steve went over on his ankle but, luckily, it wasn't the same ankle that was operated on during the summer. "We will look at him today and I'm hopeful he will be fit to play next weekend." Shaun Garnett could also be available following his late withdrawal from the trip to Bristol. The influential centre-back wasn't risked on Saturday because of his stomach strain, with fit-again Stuart Thom coming in as his replacement. Garnett, who was eager to play, was considered 75-per-cent fit, but there were concerns that he may exacerbate the problem.
Fellow defenders Iain Swan and Mark Hotte were drafted in as cover and Garnett will again visit a specialist tomorrow for an assessment of his progress. Striker Paul Beavers, however, is set to miss a third consecutive game with Achilles trouble. Although the recent signing is gradually regaining fitness, he will probably be out for at least another week. Ritchie's top priority is to pick up his players, whose latest defeat could be considered a touch unlucky. Athletic played a full part in a cracking encounter and the manager said: "It shouldn't be too hard to keep them upbeat after that." Craig Dudley, who has spent the last month on loan at Chesterfield, was due to return to Boundary Park today. The 20-year-old forward has had only fleeting glimpses of the first team at Saltergate and, even if Chesterfield had requested an extension of his loan period, Athletic would have been unlikely to agree.
Ian Holloway today made it clear he still sees plenty of room for improvement in his developing Bristol Rovers team. Rovers moved second in the table after the 3-2 weekend win over Oldham. And although Holloway was happy with the result, he still had complaints about his side’s finishing and defending. Holloway (pictured) responded to the fact his side had hit the woodwork four times by saying: “That’s not accurate enough. We are setting ourselves very high standards this season and I want us to be able to live up to them. “We created an awful lot of chances and should have taken more of them. At 3-1 up we tried to be over-elaborate and forgot the fact that you pass the ball for a reason, not just for the sake of it.
“I wasn’t happy with the goals we conceded and that’s down to concentration more than anything. A lot of the players aren’t used to being up near the top of the table, but I want them to grow in to it and be able to cope with all the different sorts of pressure that it brings. “Both of the goals we let in came from set pieces – a free kick and a corner – and we will now go back to work on tightening up in those areas – and improving our finishing.” Holloway complained that his team’s dressing room was too quiet before the match as his players prepared for a game they were expected to win. “Everybody fancied us to beat Oldham and in the past this is the sort of game where we’ve slipped up. “On the pitch, it’s all about maintaining concentration at all times. Certain players switch off when the ball isn’t in their area of the pitch and it’s something you find at this level. “But overall I was delighted with some of our football and the way we moved the ball around after we went behind. We have got a long way to go still, but we are moving forwards.”