21st March 2000     

New Kit sponsors
Latics win at Layer road

ATHLETIC have stepped up their bid to clear the decks by loaning out defender Iain Swan for the rest of the season. Swan has returned to his home city of Glasgow and signed for Scottish second division club Partick Thistle. It is unlikely the 19-year-old will return to Boundary Park as his contract runs out in June. Swan, who has managed only three senior appearances, has been available on a free transfer since November. He had a loan spell with Leigh RMI and the non-league side were keen to keep him for another month. But the security of a longer deal, plus a move back north, persuaded Swan to join Thistle, who are chasing promotion and reached the quarter-finals of the Tennent's Scottish Cup. David McNiven, another man available for free, is now back from a one-month loan at Conference club Scarborough. 

The striker could well make another temporary move before Thursday's transfer deadline. Athletic, who made an operating loss of £1million last season, need to slash costs by offloading more fringe players. Mark Innes, Paul Beavers and Matthew Tipton are all up for sale, along with contract rebels Mark Allott and Scott McNiven. Athletic are trying to contact agent Mel Stein, who represents Allott and McNiven, to see whether he has received any enquiries. 

It has been quiet at the club itself, although several talent scouts watched Saturday's draw with Bristol City. Manager Andy Ritchie is unlikely to make many changes for the long trip to Colchester United tomorrow. But he isn't short of options as Richard Graham and Mark Allott have returned to fitness, making Neil Adams the only senior player out of contention. 

The home match against Chesterfield, postponed earlier this month due to a waterlogged pitch, will now be played on Tuesday, April 18 (7.45 pm kick-off). 

ATHLETIC are in need of fresh inspiration after a run of only one victory in their last seven matches. The momentum which took them into the top half of the table seems to have evaporated completely — replaced by the look of a team treading water until the summer break. Athletic earned four consecutive clean sheets at the turn of the year but are now, more often than not, prone to lapses in concentration. The midfield is short of sparkle, the attack has reverted to wasteful ways and the overall feel is that they are bobbing along rather aimlessly. The best cure would probably be a fresh face or two but, unless the wage bill is eased before Thursday’s transfer deadline, signings are highly unlikely. Whatever happens between now and then, Athletic must find their sense of purpose if they are to build on the spadework carried out so effectively in recent months.

In the first half of this draw with Bristol City, the general standard of both sides was poor. First touch was lacking and passes forced players wide or backwards when they should have been moving forward. The finishing followed in the same, low-quality, vein. Steve Whitehall and Craig Dudley could have done better in decent positions, but the chief culprit was City’s Tony Thorpe, who twice missed open goals after goalkeeper Gary Kelly had rescued Athletic. Things improved slightly after the break as John Sheridan began to pull the strings and the hosts kept the ball for longer periods. Yet City’s equaliser — one they deserved after creating more openings than their off-colour opponents — brought chaos to Athletic’s ranks. In the end, Andy Ritchie’s side were lucky to escape with a draw.

They wouldn’t have done so but for Kelly, who made a series of excellent saves. Kelly was particularly smart in charging off his line and diving bravely at the feet of advancing forwards. He had a personal duel with striker Thorpe, and it was only thanks to his victory that City didn’t inflict Athletic’s eighth home reverse of the campaign. Ritchie recalled centre-back Shaun Garnett after his suspension, sending Scott McNiven out to the right. With Paul Rickers slotting back into midfield, Mark Innes dropped to the bench, where he was joined by returning top scorer Mark Allott. City, Wembley-bound in the Auto Windscreens Shield but deflated by three successive league defeats, made four changes of their own. It brought the kind of display so typical of this division: hard-working, well-intentioned, but short of that crowning touch of class. The visitors should have gone in front within three minutes when Matt Hewlett picked out Simon Clist with an accurate pass through the middle. Kelly made his first block of the day and, when the rebound fell to Thorpe, his chip drifted wide of an exposed goal. After 16 minutes, Athletic tested City ’keeper Steve Phillips for the first time, Sheridan’s 25-yard free-kick having to be tipped over the bar. Dudley then headed wide from close range after he was left unmarked when Sheridan delivered a deep cross. Brian Tinnion’s free-kick for Bristol found Andrew Jordan at the far post, only for the defender’s header to fly off target.

There was now more urgency about the contest and Whitehall squandered a good chance after a determined run down the left by Rickers. Sheridan tried his luck from distance as Athletic took the upper hand, thanks largely to the veteran midfielder himself. But it was McNiven who made his side’s best opening of the half with a 37th-minute centre which was headed badly wide by Dudley. In first-half injury time, City almost snatched the lead against the run of play. Hewlett’s shot was stopped at full stretch by Kelly before Thorpe blasted the loose ball over the top with the ‘keeper on the floor. 

The game needed a goal — and it got one only 20 seconds after the restart. The source was that increasingly popular attacking weapon, the long throw, delivered for Athletic by Andrew Holt. Lee Duxbury dragged his shot across the edge off the six-yard box and Whitehall stuck out a boot to deflect it home for his 10th goal of the season. Athletic needed a lunging block from Garnett to protect their lead shortly after as Thorpe hit an angled drive which looked sure to test Kelly. Scott Murray was also holding his head in the 63rd minute after dancing through two tackles but failing to chip the goalkeeper. Sheridan brought a fine save from Phillips at the other end, while Thorpe was denied again when his fierce shot was clawed away by Kelly. McNiven twice went close as the opportunities piled up, first seeing his header cleared off the line and then hammering a first-time shot to finish off his side’s most dynamic move of the game. But City snatched the equaliser after 76 minutes, finally capitalising on their frequent sights of goal. Aaron Brown was the scorer after a long ball from Jordan was misjudged by home defender Mark Hotte. Brown nipped in to control the pass neatly and sidefoot beyond the helpless Kelly from 12 yards.

Bristol were suddenly rampant, with Kelly forced into another terrific stop from Thorpe. Athletic, meanwhile, lost their composure and allowed wide gaps to open up as City poured forward. Peter Beadle nearly exploited more indecision, only for Kelly to dash out quickly and block at point-blank range. The ball fell kindly for Thorpe who, once again, failed miserably to make the most of a rebound. Ritchie’s men gathered their senses towards the end and might have found a winner through Whitehall, substitute Allott or another Sheridan free-kick. But that would have been harsh on the visitors, as well as papering over the cracks of another listless performance from Athletic.

ANDY RITCHIE was a relieved man after Athletic took a point from their disjointed display against Bristol City. The Boundary Park boss was unhappy with his team but refused to offer any excuses. “We got out of jail,” Ritchie admitted. “There should be jubilation in our dressing room after that result. “Bristol City shouldn’t have been in the game at half-time because we wasted a hell of a lot of chances. “We weren’t alive to the second ball and we weren’t getting on the end of flick-ons. “But, after we scored and had a decent 10-minute spell, they had the rest of the game. “We were grateful to Gary Kelly, who made some very good saves, but we shouldn’t have been relying on him when we had enough chances to wrap it up. “We sat back in the second half and invited Bristol to come on to us. “We didn’t play with confidence and we passed the ball into silly areas. “I’m glad we didn’t lose, but the goal we conceded was unnecessary. “Mark Hotte got underneath the ball when he didn’t really need to go for it in the first place. “We probably would have lost that game last year and I do think our home form has been better all season. “If that wasn’t the case, we would be down there near the bottom of the table.”

Although the Boundary Park pitch has come under fire recently, Ritchie believes his players should be taking the bumpy surface into account. He explained: “The pitch isn’t great, but you have to adapt to the conditions. “When it’s flat, like at Wycombe last week, you can knock the ball around and make inroads. “But there are times when we try to play too much football and we don’t change our game the way we need to.” City’s point was their first in four games — and the first since caretaker-boss Tony Fawthrop was named second division manager of the month.

Freed of the usual jinx, Fawthrop said: “I’m happy with the result but disappointed we didn’t go on to win the game. “It could have finished 5-1 on the chances we created, although I can’t say we deserved that score on the balance of play.”

They won 3-0 at Wrexham, but Ritchie was disappointed to leave both Bury and Wycombe with a single point. Tonight’s team is unlikely to show many changes from the weekend, although teenage midfielder Danny Boshell has been added to the squad. With Mark Allott on the comeback trail from a hamstring problem, the pressure is building for the current front pairing of Craig Dudley and Steve Whitehall. 

ATHLETIC (from): Kelly, Jones, Garnett, Hotte, S McNiven, Holt, Duxbury, Sheridan, Rickers, Dudley, Whitehall, Graham, Innes, Sugden, Allott, Miskelly, Boshell. 

Colchester, who are one place and one point above Athletic, will give a debut to West Ham defender Chris Coyne if his loan move is completed in time. They may also recall 13-goal Steve McGavin, who made a brief return from injury during the weekend defeat at Cardiff. 

COLCHESTER (from): Brown, Duguid, Keith, R Johnson, G Johnson, Skelton, D Gregory, Dozzell, Lock, Moralee, Lua Lua, McGavin, Arnott, Pinault, Opara, Walker, Coyne.

ATHLETIC have secured a contract worth up to £250,000 with kit manufacturer Sparta. The performance-related four-year deal is a totally new concept for the club, which will now have exclusive rights to market and distribute its own products. Sparta Sportswear, which is run by lifelong Athletic fan Steve Rhodes, will provide new home and away kits for next season. The new style will be revealed early next week and is based on the design up to the 1960s, when a single, broad blue stripe was the usual look. 

Alan Hardy, Athletic’s chief executive, said: “While we had an offer from another major sportswear brand, it was the professionalism of the Sparta Sportswear team that really impressed us. 

“Their commitment to a mutually-beneficial partnership — with Oldham Athletic as their major focus in football — was also extremely important.” 

Mr Rhodes, managing director of Stockport-based Sparta, lives in Oldham and said the deal would give his company a vital element of exposure. 

NEIL ADAMS had a screw loose recently — so he got plastered. Don’t worry, Adams hasn’t turned to the bottle since picking up the untimely injury which forced him to have an operation. But he will be laid up for the rest of the month and admits his first season back at Athletic could now be effectively over. There were fears that Adams (34) had broken his foot for the second time in a year when he limped out of the home defeat against Bristol Rovers. It wasn’t quite that serious, but a screw which was inserted when the initial injury struck had become dislodged. The experienced wing-back quickly had the offending item removed. He faced four weeks in plaster — giving him another week still to go — and can do no more than sit and hope while his team-mates plough ahead with the rest of the second division season.

“It’s a case of wait and see,” said Adams. “All I can do is see how I feel when the plaster comes off. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will be OK but, judging by what happened last year when I got the injury playing for Norwich, it can be anything up to 12 weeks. “If we’re still in mid-table when it’s feeling easier, there would be no point rushing back because you have to make sure an injury has time to heal. “If the worst comes to the worst, yes that would be it for the season. “But it’s very frustrating because I’ve been enjoying my football and I’ve been pleased with my form this year.” Until now, Adams had been overcoming the doubters who thought his veteran status would count against him in the fitness and injury stakes. Although it was an emotional return to the club which made his name, his spell at Norwich also included a niggling shoulder problem.

Adams, however, missed only four games in the seven months up to March. He said: “People were wondering if I would play all the games, but I was a regular during most of my time at Norwich. “I still don’t feel any different to five or six years ago — general fitness isn’t a problem. “There’s nothing you can do about injuries, though. They come along when they come along, it’s just disappointing that I’ve been hit now. “We’ve picked up tremendously since the start of the season and we felt a string of good results would give us a chance of the play-offs.” Adams began this season in his old position as an out-and-out winger. But, as Athletic have changed their system to include three centre-backs, his own role has also evolved. “I’ve played virtually everywhere over the years,” Adams explained. “I’m predominantly right-sided, but I feel quite comfortable in other areas. “In the modern game, you have to be adaptable because tactics change and you need to change with them. “I’ve been in one or two different positions over the course of this season, but I enjoy it anywhere. I’m not too bothered where I’m asked to play.” Adams has also chipped in with three goals, each of which will doubtless be added to his video collection.

He tries to keep a copy of personal highlights — the kind of memento many other players must wish they had for old time’s sake. “It’s nice to watch it occasionally and remind myself of what’s happened in the past,” Adams added. Unfortunately, he now has plenty of time to relive those good times over and over again.

TWO generations of Athletic stars were back on familiar ground on Saturday when Alan and Gary Williams were invited to Boundary Park. The father-and-son team turned back the clock under a new initiative to honour former players. Alan (not Alun as it is often misspelt) was a no-nonsense defender during the 1960s and missed only 10 games in his four seasons with the club. That record included an ever-present run in 1962/63, when Athletic finished as runners-up in the fourth division. Gary, meanwhile, was a cultured midfielder who made a century of league appearances and was an unused substitute in the 1990 Littlewoods Cup final. Gary also scored in the 1986/ 87 play-off semi-final against Leeds and later had spells with Hearts, Bristol Rovers and Swansea, ending his career in Hong Kong. Now aged 36, he runs a pub and a shop in Bristol city centre. Alan is a caretaker in a complex of flats and also helps out behind his son’s bar whenever needed.

ATHLETIC’S youngsters are still flying high in the premier merit division of the Football League Youth Alliance. The under-19s are top of the table in a league which decides the strongest youth team in the north, excluding clubs with academies. Senior coach David Cross said: “It’s nice for them to be going well and to have a chance of winning something. “But we always stress that results aren’t the most important thing. The real test of our job is the number of lads we can get through to the first team.” Cross added that his side took their foot off the pedal during the most recent match, a 2-0 victory at Port Vale. Athletic secured the points in the first half thanks to a Ben Smith penalty and a 20-yard strike from Darren Wardle, his third goal in three games.

FORMER Athletic favourite Neil Redfearn will return to Boundary Park next month after signing for second division high-fliers Wigan. Redfearn, who is always assured of a warm welcome after his famous championship-winning penalty, joined the other Latics for £112,500 — exactly half the fee paid by Bradford at the start of the season. The much-travelled midfielder was on the verge of an unwanted place in history. He spent the previous two years with Barnsley and Charlton so, if he had gone down with Bradford, he would have become the first man to suffer three Premiership relegation's in a row.

Referee Steve Bennett had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and there were few complaints from the Oldham side. Up stepped leading scorer McGavin but he slammed his 77th minute penalty several yards over the bar with keeper Gary Kelly untroubled. United had exerted some pressure in the second half in search of an equaliser, but they became deflated after MaGavin's spot kick misery and keeper Kelly enjoyed a quiet last few minutes. This was a third successive defeat for Steve Whitton's side and they must now face promotion-chasing Gillingham on Saturday. They certainly missed the influential Gavin Johnson who was sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury. In fact, they were dreadfully short in defence due to long term casualties Richard Wilkins and David Greene.

Their performance was not helped by two more defenders limping off during the first half. Carl Duguid and Ross Johnson were both substituted within the first 33 minutes, due to injuries, forcing Colchester to reshuffle their team. Oldham's winner was a quality goal from left wing-back Holt, who let fly from 30 yards with a low drive that ended up in the far corner of the net. It was Holt's second goal of the season. Home keeper Simon Brown seemed to react very slowly to this long range effort. Colchester took the game to their opponents after the interval and there were several near misses although Kelly did not have that many saves to make. McGavin came desperately close to an equaliser in the 67th minute. He dived at full stretch to meet a cross from the hardworking Lock that saw his header flash wide at the far post.

African-born striker Lua Lua also had his moments and he missed an excellent chance when put through by Lock. However, Lua Lua's shot ballooned over the bar with keeper Kelly again just a bystander. Those misses summed up another miserable evening for Colchester.

Final Results
Colchester	0	Oldham	1
Name, Minutes No Scorers		Name, Minutes Holt, 22

Yellow Cards
Name, Minutes No Yellow Cards		Name, Minutes Rickers, 6 foul Garnett, 31 foul Sheridan, 78 dissent

Red Cards
Name, Minutes No Red Cards		Name, Minutes No Red Cards

Match Stats
14	Goal Attempts	9
4	(On Target)	4
0	(Bar/Post)	0
15	Fouls	12
5	Offsides	1
5	Corners	4

Match Squads & Ratings
2 stars (out of 5)
Colchester	Oldham
G 1. Brown - 6 D 2. Keith - 7 D 3. Johnson, R - 6 M 4. Dozzell - 6 M 5. Gregory - 6 D 6. Duguid - 6 M 7. Lock - 7 F 8. Moralee - 7 M 9. Skelton - 7 F 10. Tresor Lua Lua - 7 F 11. McGavin - 6	G 1. Kelly - 7 D 2. McNiven, S - 7 D 3. Holt - 8 D 4. Garnett - 6 D 5. Duxbury - 7 M 6. Rickers - 6 M 7. Sheridan - 7 F 8. Whitehall - 6 F 9. Dudley - 6 M 10. Hotte - 6 D 11. Jones - 6
Substitutes	Substitutes
D 3. Farley (33) - 6 D 6. Arnott (24) - 6 12. Walker 13. Pinault 14. Opara	M 6. Innes (72) - 6 F 8. Allott (69) - 7 12. Miskelly 13. Graham 14. Boshell
*Players ranked from 4 (lowest) to 10 (highest)
Referee: S. G. Bennett

Of the other promotion contenders, only Gillingham and Wigan fully capitalised. Iffy Onuora's goal a minute before the break gave the Gills victory at Bournemouth, while Arjan de Zeeuw (59) and Simon Haworth (90) earned Wigan a 2-0 win at Wycombe.

Michael Gilkes' last-minute goal salvaged a point for third-placed Millwall at Wrexham, who led through Gareth Owen's 20th-minute goal, while fifth-placed Burnley could only take a point from a 1-1 draw at relegation threatened Lancashire rivals Blackpool.

In the fight to avoid relegation, Oxford picked up three precious points at Bury. When Nick Daws (89) cancelled out Derek Lilley's ninth-minute goal, Oxford looked like they'd have to settle for a point, but Jamie Cook gave them a 2-1 win in the last minute.

Chesterfield and Cardiff shared the points at Saltergate, Russell Perrett putting the visitors ahead after 31 minutes only for Stephen Payne to equalise soon after.

Paul McLaren's last-minute goal for Luton robbed Cambridge of victory. Gary Doherty gave the Hatters a 19th-minute lead, Trevor Benjamin (26) and Ian Ashbee (56) seemed to have won it for Roy McFarland's men but McLaren averted a fourth straight home defeat for Lennie Lawrence's men.

Oldham won the mid-table clash at Colchester 1-0, while Scunthorpe drew 0-0 with Brentford in the other match.

Yahoo League table

Pos.	Team	Pts	Pl.	W	D	L	F	A	Diff
1	Preston	75	37	22	9	6	64	33	+31
2	Bristol R	74	36	22	8	6	60	28	+32
3	Wigan	69	36	18	15	3	60	29	+31
4	Millwall	68	38	19	11	8	58	39	+19
5	Burnley	66	37	18	12	7	50	33	+17
6	Gillingham	65	35	19	8	8	60	38	+22
7	Notts Co	63	38	18	9	11	55	41	+14
8	Stoke	59	36	16	11	9	50	35	+15
9	Brentford	50	38	13	11	14	43	48	-5
10	Bournemouth	48	38	14	6	18	49	54	-5
11	Bristol C	47	37	10	17	10	42	44	-2
12	Luton	47	38	13	8	17	49	55	-6
13	Wycombe	46	37	11	13	13	44	44	+0
14	Oldham	46	36	12	10	14	40	43	-3
15	Wrexham	44	37	11	11	15	42	54	-12
16	Colchester	44	38	12	8	18	48	68	-20
17	Reading	42	36	10	12	14	45	56	-11
18	Bury	41	35	9	14	12	46	47	-1
19	Oxford	37	38	10	7	21	36	63	-27
20	Scunthorpe	36	37	8	12	17	34	57	-23
21	Cambridge	35	37	8	11	18	50	56	-6
22	Cardiff	34	37	6	16	15	38	52	-14
23	Blackpool	34	38	7	13	18	41	64	-23
24	Chesterfield	27	36	5	12	19	43	43	+0