DEFENDER Chris Lightfoot has been added to Athletic’s casualty list less than two weeks after signing on loan.

Lightfoot (30) is struggling with a groin injury and is set to miss tomorrow night’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday in the Worthington Cup second round. Athletic will take no chances with the big centre-back — who reveals in tonight’s Chronicle that he wants to stay at Boundary Park.

They view league matches as far more important and hope to ensure Lightfoot is ready to face Cambridge on Saturday.

The setback has come at a bad time for Lightfoot, who was bedding down well after signing from Crewe. Unless his loan deal is extended, he has only one month in which to earn a full-time move to Boundary Park.

Athletic will have to field a weakened team at Hillsborough, where they have 3-1 deficit to make up from the first leg. Carlo Corazzin has a slight hamstring strain and, as Athletic are desperate for league points, he is also set to have a few days’ rest.

Matthew Tipton could be back to face Wednesday as he is recovering well from a badly-bruised pelvis. Lightfoot’s injury may open the way for Canadian defender Mark Watson to make his at debut at centre-back.

ATHLETIC are standing up to the Canadian authorities over Carlo Corazzin’s latest World Cup call.

Canada want their first-choice striker for a qualifying match against Panama, but Boundary Park officials are reluctant to let him go.

When Corazzin signed, the two sides reached an agreement that he would only play internationals if Canada had an important match.

Recent results mean they can no longer reach the 2002 finals, but they still want Corazzin to miss Athletic’s game at Rotherham on Sunday week.

After hearing the news, Athletic contacted the Canadian Soccer Association to request their top scorer’s release from the squad.

It was agreed he would only be used in the event of injuries — and Canada have since claimed they are without several key players.

If Corazzin does play, he will have the honour of winning his 50th international cap. A final decision will be made this week.

Compatriot Mark Watson, meanwhile, can’t be called up for the Panama match due to suspension.

The defender, currently with Athletic on non-contract forms, was sent off in Canada’s recent tie against Trinidad and Tobago.

He said: “It was the worst sending-off you’ll ever see. On the first yellow card, I was fouled by Dwight Yorke and I was the one booked after a we had a bit of a push.

“Then I had a simple collision with the other striker and I was off. It’s very frustrating to miss out because of that.”

One player definitely out of the Rotherham trip is goalkeeper David Miskelly, who is in Northern Ireland’s under-21 squad.

They play Denmark at home a week on Friday before travelling to Iceland three days later.

PREVIOUS CLUBS: Cherry Orchard (Ireland), Coventry, Hibernian (Scotland), St Patrick’s (Ireland)

BACKGROUND: Like many young Irishmen before him, Prenderville, who can play at centre-back, right-back or in midfield, was snapped up by an English club. He spent five years at Highfield Road, but was increasingly frustrated to find established internationals blocking his path.

His happiest time at Coventry wasn’t with Coventry at all — it was on loan at Hibernian. Prenderville played 13 games there before a move fell through and he decided to return to Ireland. A year later, and after two trials, Athletic gave him a one-year contract.

PLAYER’S THOUGHTS: “I was in the Coventry squad a few times but never actually played, mainly because of the Swedish full-back Roland Nilsson, who was a bit of a legend. It can only help your game to be with such professional people, but I had a great three months at Hibs and was very disappointed that Coventry wanted too much money for me.

“Oldham saw me playing back in Ireland, where the standard is pretty good. I haven’t set myself a target at Oldham, but I certainly haven’t felt inferior.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Like Paul Jones last season, Prenderville’s signing means he has been given a second chance. On the evidence so far, he is determined to take it. Ironically, Jones has lost his squad place to the Irishman, who had a 36-minute baptism of fire in the 5-0 defeat at Reading.

It was impossible to judge him on his debut as that night was less a football match than a recreation of the Alamo. However, he has put in two outstanding displays for the reserves and was a revelation after coming on in midfield on Saturday.

Confident, versatile and whole-hearted, he has 12 months to earn himself a longer deal.

BACKGROUND: Smith was born in Leeds, but he crossed the Pennines to further his football career and joined the Burnley youth system. Climbing up through the ranks, he was earmarked as one of Turf Moor’s brightest prospects and fast-tracked into the first team at 18.

Although it took a while to cement a regular place, Smith continued to show a lot of potential as a passing wide player — and a left-footed one to boot. More recently, he was bothered by injuries and consequently lost his place in the first team.

PLAYER’S THOUGHTS: “At the moment, it’s hard to say what will happen at the end of my month here. But I wasn’t catching the side at Burnley and I seem to be out of favour, which is obviously a disappointment.

“It’s good to be back playing at first-team level, but I’m a bit short of full match fitness at the moment.

“A few more games should put that right and hopefully I can show some decent form for Oldham. I’m enjoying helping out. We’ll see what happens after that.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: With Andrew Holt and Mark Innes as the only left-sided players, Athletic’s squad had looked unbalanced for some time. The loan move for Smith was perhaps papering over the cracks but, finances and Burnley permitting, Athletic would like to make it permanent.

In his one game to date, at Bournemouth, Smith was Athletic’s most creative player and gave fleeting glimpses of the quality which got him noticed as a teenager. On the minus side, it could take much of the month to get him fully fit. And, if he stays at wing-back, defending might be a problem.

BACKGROUND: Defender Lightfoot was a Chester City regular from an early age and rattled up 277 league games, some of them in midfield. Many pundits expected him to earn a move to the top two divisions, but he instead signed for Wigan.

Lightfoot’s time at Wigan wasn’t a big success and, four years ago, Crewe stepped in with a £50,000 bid. But he has never established himself at Gresty Road, where manager Dario Gradi seems to view him as no more than a useful squad member. He hadn’t featured in Crewe’s side this season before signing for Athletic on loan.

PLAYER’S THOUGHTS: “I’m enjoying it at Oldham and I’d like to think I’m playing for a move. There are a couple of centre-halves in front of me at Crewe, so hopefully I can do well and justify coming here permanently. I haven’t really done myself justice at Crewe — you can see that because I’ve only played 80-odd games in my four years there.

“I got injured before the season and, even though I worked with a fitness instructor and trained with the first team, I still couldn’t get near the squad.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When Lightfoot arrived at Boundary Park, Athletic were going through a minor crisis at the back and had the joint-worst defensive record in the league. His debut against Bristol City coincided with the first clean sheet of the season, while the team as a whole struggled to contain Sheffield Wednesday in the Worthington Cup.

Although Bournemouth were allowed a handful of chances at the weekend, Lightfoot’s organisational skills made him Athletic’s man of the match. A six-foot centre-back who is good in the air, he is also a better ball-player than most players of his type. He has 12 months left on his contract, but any fee would be nominal. Gradi hasn’t ruled out a return to Gresty Road.

BACKGROUND: Watson is a well-travelled centre-back who has won 62 caps for Canada in almost a decade of international football. His first English club was Watford, but he later moved to the USA and the Swedish Premier League. On his return, he became a popular player at Oxford.

When his contract ran out in the summer, he was offered three more years, plus the captaincy — provided he gave up internationals. He was unwilling to make the sacrifice and spent two weeks with Wolves before Athletic offered him a one-month deal, which is effectively a trial.

PLAYER’S THOUGHTS: “I didn’t particularly want to leave Oxford, but I wasn’t going to give up playing for Canada either — it’s important to me. I was introduced to Oldham through Carlo Corazzin, who is a good mate, and I’d like to do well here and hopefully get a game or two.

“It was frustrating not to get on at Bournemouth, but the boys were doing well and the team was obviously more important. After only one week, I don’t know Oldham and they don’t know me. I’m not viewing this as either a short-term or long-term thing, just a chance to play some football and see how things turn out.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Watson’s only game for Athletic was in last week’s reserve match, when he was solid at the back before going off in the second half. He was an unused substitute at Bournemouth on Saturday but could get a chance to impress at Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow. Oxford paid the price for a short-sighted attitude over international commitments, just as other clubs did when chasing Corazzin.

It was a sign of his standing that they offered him the captaincy, and he arrived at Boundary Park with a reputation for firm defending and decent distribution. Due to the club’s financial plight, it could become a straight choice between Watson and Chris Lightfoot at the end of the month.

Sheffield Wednesday striker Andy Booth has been ruled out of action for around six weeks after pulling up with a groin strain in the league defeat by Preston.

Booth's absence leaves Owls boss Paul Jewell with a striking conundrum as his side look for a confidence-boosting win after some abject recent results.

Young Italian hit-man Michele Di Piedi could take his place after recovering from a groin strain of his own.

Jewell also has the option of moving Gerald Sibon out of midfield and into a supporting striker's role.

Booth will be joined on the sidelines by loan duo Terry Cooke and Robbie Stockdale as Manchester City and Middlesbrough do not want their players cup-tied.

Opportunities

That leaves opportunities for Derek Geary and Matt Hamshaw who faced Oldham in the first leg at Boundary Park.

Latics boss Andy Ritchie will have to do without striker Carlo Corazzin as the Second Division side attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit at Sheffield Wednesday.

Ritchie has an injury crisis as he picks his squad for the trip to Hillsborough as Chris Lightfoot and Neil Adams are also rated as doubtful.

Lightfoot has a slight groin injury and will face a late fitness test while Adams was kicked in the leg during training and could miss out.

If both Lightfoot and Adams miss out it would mean that the Boundary Park side would be absent six key players as Shaun Garnett, Paul Rickers, John Sheridan and Matthew Tipton are already ruled out of the second round second leg tie.

Osieck has also included newcomers Mark Rogers and Daniel Imhof. Rogers, 24, is a defender with Wycombe Wanderers of the English Second Division who has never represented Canada before. Imhof, 22, who plays regularly with St. Gallen in Switzerland, played one game for Canada at the Pan Am Games but has not been capped at the World Cup team level.

The other addition is striker Niall Thompson who played this summer with the Bay Area Seals of the A-League after spending last season in Scotland. Thompson has been capped eight times for Canada. He made his World Cup team debut in 1993 against South Korea and his last appearance was against Macedonia in 1998. This is his first call-up under Osieck.

Thursday, October 5 - Meet in Winnipeg
Friday, October 6 - Training at Winnipeg Soccer Complex at 10 am and 4 pm
Saturday, October 7 - Training at Winnipeg Soccer Complex at 10 am and 4 pm
Sunday, October 8 - Training at Winnipeg Soccer Complex at 4:00 pm
Monday, October 9 - Canada vs Panama at 4 pm local time (Winnipeg Soccer Complex)

World Cup roster announced

Osieck releases list of players for upcoming World Cup Semi-Final Round Match vs Panama