26th October 1999 

Thom out again!!!!!
Latics the good guys

THE broken collarbone suffered by Athletic's Stuart Thom could keep him out of action until next year. 

Thom isn't recovering as quickly as expected and may now miss out on the vital flood of fixtures around Christmas and the turn of the Millennium. It is a huge blow for the defender, who was injured in a full-blooded collision with goalkeeper Gary Kelly. Athletic originally hoped he would return after six weeks, but Thom's slow progress means the comeback date has had to be put back. This has been an unlucky few months for the 22-year-old, who has shown signs of becoming a dominant figure at the back. 

He has also had a thigh injury and a fractured toe and, even before breaking his collarbone, had started only 10 of the previous 27 first-team matches. Meanwhile, Athletic are keeping alive their interest in Faroe Islands international Ossur Hansen. The 28-year-old midfield man returned home last week after a trial spell which involved two appearances for the reserves. Manager Andy Ritchie explained that he rated Hansen highly and, under different financial conditions, would have offered him a deal for the rest of the season. The player, who has a contract in Faroe, is now planning to insert a clause which allows him to return to England on a free transfer if Athletic make another move.

ANDY RITCHIE has thrown his weight behind plans for a new stadium, claiming it is vital to the future of the club. The Athletic manager, who knows he is unlikely to have money for transfers while they remain at their current home, says the chance must be taken to step into the future. Boundary Park is currently being sold to Oldham Council’s joint-venture company, Hiretarget — a deal which will help Athletic solve their acute financial problems. Ritchie said: “It’s better to have an ally in the council than to have the bank on your back, but a new stadium is the only way forward. “You can’t go on the way we are at the moment, losing money hand  over fist with maintenance costs. “Boundary Park is one big pay-out and I’m told that, if we moved, there may be money available for players. “We need to have better facilities for the fans and also for banqueting and hospitality. “That way we can make money on the ground through the week, rather than just getting what we can through the turnstiles.”

Ritchie, who was speaking at last night’s AGM of the Oldham Athletic Supporters’ Association, also had his say on Oldham RL club’s move back to Boundary Park. He said: “It won’t be too good for the pitch to be used all year round, but our groundsman, Jack Walker, has done very well so it shouldn’t be a problem. “It’s another case of being dictated by finance. We aren’t in the best of situations and we need the money.” With Athletic in a worrying 20th place in the second division — only one position above the drop zone — Ritchie turned the spotlight on his players. He gave the fans an honest assessment of several squad members, revealing that promising defender Mark Hotte was almost one that got away. The manager said: “Mark was almost released a year ago, but myself and Bill Urmson thought he should be given another chance. “He has taken the bull by the horns and — maybe because he knew he could have gone out of the game — has made the most of things. “He reads the game well and talks, which makes a refreshing change because we can be a semaphore club. “We had no qualms about pushing him in when we got injuries at the back and he has really grasped his chance. “Craig Dudley could also be a real force because he gives us something extra — a new dimension. “He has good pace, plus his height stops the ball coming back at us quite as much, which is always a bonus. “I don’t think he has quite adjusted to league football yet and he is also tending to run out of steam. “That is because he hardly played during his loan spell at Chesterfield and his fitness went down as a result.” Ritchie praised teenager Ben Futcher, adding: “I’ve told him he has a foot in the door and mustn’t allow it to close. In the last year, his progress has been phenomenal.” But the manager raised a laugh with his verdict on Andrew Holt. “His biggest problem is that he’s such a nice lad,” Ritchie suggested. “I keep telling him to go out and find some aggression. He should go out there and kick someone up in the air — he’d really enjoy it.”

Triumph for good guys

ONLY a year after their disciplinary record saw them hauled before the FA, sinning Athletic have become one of the few saints of the second division. Only six clubs have managed to avoid a red card so far this season and Athletic, who were handed a suspended fine of £20,000 for their bad-boy record, are among them. In fact, Athletic have cleaned up their act so much that, after 15 league and cup games, no Boundary Park player has been booked more than twice. Some may argue that such a figure should be par for the course but, in the current climate, it is the exception rather than the rule. Those with two bookings are Scott McNiven, Lee Duxbury, John Sheridan and Neil Adams. The best record in the division belongs to Bourne-mouth, with 10 yellow and no red in 14 games, while Wrexham have already managed to have four men sent off. The threat of Athletic’s fine being activated was wiped out at the start of this season. But they are still being monitored closely by the FA’s disciplinary committee.

A GROUP of Chinese teenagers had their first taste of English league football on Saturday when Athletic played their part in a goodwill visit. The 15-year-olds, who were from a soccer school in the city of Wuhan, enjoyed their visit and, according to organiser Ray Whelan, “particularly liked all the abuse aimed at the ref.” Wuhan is involved in a twinning project with Manchester and the two-week visit is aimed at developing links throughout the region. The visitors played a team from the United Academy last week — beating them 4-0 — and will also meet City and Liverpool before heading back to the Far East.

ATHLETIC’S FA Cup tie against Chelmsford this weekend is the first time they have tackled non-league opposition for 22 years. Helped by the fact that they were in the top two divisions between 1974 and 1997 — and were therefore given byes into the third round — they have avoided these no-win situations since meeting Northwich Victoria in 1977. That was a fourth-round match played at Manchester City when Northwich were forced to move the tie after discovering they had sold more tickets than their ground capacity allowed. Their consolation was a Maine Road crowd of 28,635, but Athletic eased through 3-1 thanks to goals by Carl Valentine and Vic Halom (2). Prior to that, Athletic won 2-0 at Formby in the first round of the 1973/74 competition. The last time they were embarrassed was in 1972/73 when Scarborough, who wouldn’t play league football for a further 15 years, earned a 1-1 draw at Boundary Park before winning the replay 2-1. But, strangely, that humiliation pales by comparison with the exit from the cup in 1969/70. After beating part-timers Grantham 3-1 at home in the first round, Athletic were drawn away at Northern Premier League club South Shields. They drew 0-0, only to succumb to one of the most infamous defeats in their history when the tiny North East club won the replay 2-1 at Boundary Park. Supporters of a certain age still talk dismally of David Shaw’s miss of the season in that game. The moment summed up a campaign which saw Athletic finish 19th in division four — a position to which they have never slumped since. The South Shields debacle is the only time Athletic have ever lost at home to non-league opposition. But, as well as Scarborough in the seventies, they have been beaten away by Brighton (1913/14) and Cardiff (1919/20) before either club entered the Football League.

ATHLETIC are hoping for a grant of more than £10,000 to boost their efforts in the local community. Funding from a new scheme — The Year of Promise — helps clubs to expand their contribution to charitable organisations and work more closely with disadvantaged people. A grant of £10,417 is available to all Nationwide League clubs whose ideas are thought acceptable. Athletic’s plan is three-fold, with the key point being to improve the current links with Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, Royton, and help it to accommodate more people. Athletic also want to develop their Learning Through Football programme and increase the amount of coaching they carry out in local schools.