21st July 2000   

Victory at Rhyl

ATHLETIC will take a full-strength squad to the Isle of Man this weekend as manager Andy Ritchie makes some tough decisions about his team. Ritchie has five friendlies in which to decide his starting line-up for the league opener against Port Vale, on August 12, when Athletic launch their push for promotion. He has the chance to experiment in three Festival games next week, followed by home fixtures with Premiership sides Leeds and Manchester City. The only players unable to help Athletic defend their title in the Isle of Man are Scott McNiven, who has a fractured cheekbone, and Ryan Sugden, ruled out by an ankle problem.

When injuries bit deep at the end of last season, Ritchie handed rare first-team starts to the likes of Sugden, Matthew Tipton and Danny Boshell. They are now fighting to keep their places as more experienced men like Paul Rickers, Neil Adams and Mark Allott return to the fold. Competition is strong — and will become stronger if Athletic bring in one of the strikers they are pursuing. With Isle of Man squads restricted to 16, the fit players left behind include Stuart Thom, Paul Beavers, Phil Salt and Ben Futcher. John Sheridan, who picked up two minor knocks at Leigh RMI on Tuesday night, is expected to recover before the Festival kicks off on Sunday, against first-division Burnley.

Ritchie said: "We go to the Isle of Man as defending champions and it will be a good tournament as Stoke, Darlington, Burnley and Bury are there. "The most important thing, though, is to get the lads together for some hard work. It's good to have a change of scenery and we will make the most of our opportunity."

Athletic squad: Kelly, Miskelly, Jones, Garnett, Hotte, Adams, Holt, Sheridan, Rickers, Duxbury, Innes, Boshell, Tipton, Dudley, Whitehall, Allott.

Several first-team regulars are expected to play at Rhyl tonight. The players not going to the Isle of Man will get some match action under their belts at Runcorn (tomorrow, 2pm), Guiseley (Tuesday, 7pm), Harrogate (Thursday, 7.30pm) and Glossop (Saturday, 2pm).

MANCHESTER City players will be presented with their First Division runners-up medals by Nationwide League officials before the friendly at Athletic on August 8. 

OLDHAM Athletic's reserve team was robbed last night — even though it won a match 3-1. Players returned to the dressing room after winning a pre-season friendly game at Bradford Park Avenue to find some of their personal belongings were missing. Jewellery, mobile phones and money had disappeared and the matter was immediately reported to West Yorkshire Police. The squad was kept behind while police officers took statements from the aggrieved players. Reserve-team coach Tony Philliskirk later reported the incident to chief executive Alan Hardy, who said today: "When our players returned to the dressing room after the game they found they were minus some personal items. It was very disappointing as well as an incovenience. “There must be some responsibility on the host club to ensure that the security of the dressing rooms is maintained." No one from Unibond League outfit Bradford Park Avenue, which plays at the Horsfall Stadium, Bradford, was available for comment today. 

OPENING pre-season fixtures usually provide more questions than answers - especially when the manager elects to play a team largely made up of youngsters, trialists and squad players. But for the inquisitive at Bootham Crescent last night some positive points to ponder as the Minstermen booked their place in the final of the North Riding Senior Cup with a relatively comfortable 1-0 victory over Marske United with an accomplished performance. In trainee Leigh Wood City have yet another gem of a player ready to roll from their highly envied youth system. The elegant youngster - given a brief glimpse of the first team spotlight when named as a substitute on the final day of last season, plays the game the way it should be.

Full of poise and purpose, Wood showed his first instinct is to bring the ball down and pass and despite his slight frame was not afraid to mix it against physically stronger opponents. Russ Howarth proved he will be a more than able deputy to Alan Fettis, with one second-half save in particular underscoring his undoubted ability. Wayne Hall proved his fitness and more - a hunger to win that remains undiminished - while trialist David McNiven can have done his chances of extending his temporary tenure at Bootham Crescent no harm scoring a sublime goal in a hustling, bustling display.

Last night was significant too for City lined up with three centre-backs and forward thinking wing-backs in Hall and trialist Phil Hadland a further indication of Dolan's thinking come August 12. As you would expect, the football was not always fluent but the players, even at this early stage, looked organised and always in command but for a late flurry from a spirited Marske. McNiven's impact was almost immediate after John Mohan, the former City junior, in the Marske goal spilled Hadland's fierce free-kick. The diminutive striker, seemingly spawned from the same mould as Marc Williams, pounced at Mohan's feet. The ball squirmed out to Lee Bullock who prodded it back across the face of the goal to hand McNiven an easy, if scrambled, tap in. Unfortunately for McNiven and City whistle-happy referee Jeff Winter, after consulting with his assistant, spared Mohan's blushes and ruled the goal out for a foul on the Marske 'keeper.

There was little argument about McNiven's goal when it finally came 15 minutes later. From deep in City's half, Hadland knocked a cross-field pass that was possibly aimed for Hall but dropped over the back of the Marske defence. McNiven, some 35 yards from goal, raced into the space before looking up and carefully lifting the ball over a stranded Mohan with a delicate half-volley. Marske enjoyed periods of possession but lacked any real penetration, preferring to pepper Howarth's goal with a couple of speculative efforts from distance that lacked the precision of McNiven. As half-time approached, City thought they had doubled their advantage when McNiven burst into the box and squared the ball to Colin Alcide. The big man stroked the ball home only to see the referee's assistant raise his flag again, this time for an earlier foul by McNiven on Marske defender James Middleton.

The second half was largely more of the same as City continued to enjoy much the greater possession. Andrew Dawson hit the pass of the match with a ball that curled behind the Marske defence but Alcide could only slam his shot straight at Mohan. From the resultant short corner, the striker met Hall's cross with powerful diving header that had Mohan beat but the crossbar too. Credit to Marske who staged a late rally. John Keegan hacked a scrambled effort off the line before Stuart Neilson rattled the City woodwork with a rising drive. The ball bounced to Steve Moore who had the goal at his mercy only for Howarth to recover superbly and pull off a fine one-handed save to turn away the Marske substitute's header.

Premier Champs: ahmm!
Premier League Relegated: Derby, Bradford, Charlton

Div Champions: Blackburn
Promoted: Wednesday, Wolves
Relegated: Palace, Grimsby, Gillingham

Div 2 Champions: Wigan
Promoted: Wigan, Stoke, Bristol Rovers
Play-off: Bristol Rovers, Reading, Millwall, Bristol city
Latics: Top 10, I'll say no more - We need a striker
Relegated: Colchester, Rotherham, Peterborough, Cambridge

Div 3 Champions: Darlington
Relegated: Carlisle

FA Cup Winners: Leeds

Scottish Premier: Goes without saying.

In other football related news; Southampton will get into Europe and Paul Gascoigne will retire. Kevin Keegan will still refuse to play Guppy on the left and Kevin Philips will be top scorer.