VETERAN Neil Adams went under the surgeon's knife today and will be out of Athletic's plans for at least the next month. The wing-back aggravated an old injury on Saturday and had to have a screw removed from his left foot. Adams (34) has missed only four games this season since returning to Boundary Park on a free transfer. His absence leaves Athletic facing a major headache for this weekend's match at Bury — they will also be without the suspended trio of Matthew Tipton, Lee Duxbury and Mark Hotte. Tipton serves the third of a four-game ban, while Duxbury and Hotte are out for one match after picking up five yellow cards.

Manager Andy Ritchie said: "We'll need to shuffle things around a bit, but I think we've got the numbers to cope." The problem for Adams stemmed from his days with Norwich, where he broke his foot and had to have the screw inserted to help it heal. He limped off in the first half against Bristol Rovers on Saturday and was sent for X-rays the following day. There was relief for Athletic when the checks didn't reveal another obvious fracture. But the screw was coming out of place and needed to be removed. Even if there are no complications, Adams can't put any weight on the foot for the next fortnight. It will then take another two or three weeks to recover fully — and that's looking on the bright side.

Meanwhile, Athletic were today informing other clubs that Mark Allott and Scott McNiven are available for transfer. After making the shock announcement yesterday, they will go through the usual process of circulating the players' names. Allott and McNiven have turned down new contracts and their agent will also be contacting potential buyers. Tonight's reserve-team game against Grimsby was called off at lunchtime due to a waterlogged pitch at Boundary Park. 

ATHLETIC are sure to come under fire from certain quarters after their failure to tempt Mark Allott and Scott McNiven into signing new contracts. As the manager and his board continually remind us, talented young players are the lifeblood of any club who can’t afford to delve into the transfer market. When money is so tight, however, common sense must also come into the equation. It is only through good husbandry that the likes of Athletic can keep their heads above water — never mind prosper — and they offered the rebels as much as they could afford. It would have been irresponsible to break the bank in order to keep either player, important as they were to the present and, potentially, the future.

As other clubs have found, it is a dangerous game to replace long-term vision with short-term myopia. Athletic have tied down other important players — virtually all of the first-team squad are committed to 2002 or beyond — and were rightly unwilling to be pushed beyond their means. This isn’t a case of cashing in on prize assets (both men could only move for free if a foreign club was the buyer), it’s a matter of ripping up the ransom note. The real test will come if Allott and McNiven leave for big fees, which they surely will eventually. Athletic are often accused of lacking ambition — so just how much of the money will be made available for team strengthening? Allott, the 11-goal top scorer, and McNiven, a maturing defender who has been watched by Liverpool this season, will doubtless be hoping for a move to the first division or Premiership. They are absolutely right to take that stance. And you don’t employ a high-profile agent like Gazza’s friend Mel Stein unless you have lofty aims. Nevertheless, it was a strange decision to refuse the terms offered to them.

McNiven was already a top earner before his pay rise was put on the table, while Allott’s wages would have shot up by a phenomenal 44 per cent. Both men know Athletic’s financial situation and, after a few weeks of wrangling, won’t be offered anything better — hence the decision to put them on the transfer list. Their refusal to sign makes a statement that they are ready to move on, again a sentiment no-one should begrudge them. Yet Athletic always pledge that they would stand in no player’s way if a realistic offer came in. And even if they wanted to, business would dictate otherwise. Allott and McNiven, therefore, could have taken the safety net of a new contract — one which could have had a transfer clause inserted — and still moved on when the chance arose. Football’s financial world, not to mention the part played in it by agents is, as always, as clear as mud.

EARL BARRETT made a popular return to Boundary Park on Saturday as Athletic launched a new initiative to honour their former favourites. Every home match will now see an ex-Athletic player introduced at half-time, and Barrett was the first to return. Sadly, the 32-year-old was recently forced to quit football due to a long-standing knee injury. He played over 200 games for Athletic during the club’s glory years, often saving his finest moments for the big occasion. The silky defender was outstanding in the Littlewoods Cup final, scored in an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and, at Liverpool, notched Athletic’s first goal back in the top flight after a 68-year absence. Having been signed from Manchester City for a give-away £35,000, he became Athletic’s record sale when Aston Villa splashed out £1.7million in 1992. Barrett also had spells at Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, the club he was with when doctors gave him the bad news. He is hoping to stay in the game and plans to take his coaching badge in the next few months. Barrett is pictured with lifelong Latics fan Mark Corbett, whose suggestion it was to bring former players back to the club. 

Mark (19), a student at Sheffield University, got in touch after seeing a similar idea prove popular when Athletic played at Preston. His rewards were a VIP day out at Boundary Park — and the chance to meet one of his idols. Mark said: “It’s always good to see former players. When Graham Bell was introduced at Preston, my dad, Phil, lived those days all over again. “My own fondest memories are from when I first started coming here in 1986. “Earl was one of my heroes from a bit later, but the biggest would have to be Roger Palmer.”

IT’S make-or-break time for Athletic’s reserves in their hunt for the Pontins League premier division title. After leading the table in November, the Boundary Park side have fallen away and now trail by seven points. Beginning at home to Grimsby tonight, they have six games in which to close the gap on leaders Manchester City. But, if that quest for silverware proves in vain, they are also in the running for two knock-out competitions. In the Manchester Senior Cup, Athletic are on the verge of reaching their second successive final. They were runners-up to Manchester United last term and one win from the last three round-robin games would make almost sure of their place — probably against United again. In the Pontins League Cup, victories over Stockport and Macclesfield, followed by a draw with Rochdale, saw Athletic safely through the group stage. They will now play in the quarter-finals, in a match yet to be arranged. 

THE all-important Boundary Park youth system achieved another goal when Athletic’s youngsters finished second in their league. Runner-up spot in the North-West section of the Football League Youth Alliance took the club’s future stars into a higher class of football. For the rest of the season, they will compete in the premier merit division, which brings together the top nine clubs in the north, excluding those with academies. Athletic actually qualified without playing all their games — a fact which has sparked protests from one of their rivals. The final match with Burnley last Monday was postponed due to an unfit pitch, so Athletic offered to play later in the week and ensure the league programme was completed. Burnley, who only needed a draw to qualify themselves, happily agreed — but league officials called off the game because they had already drawn up the fixture lists. Burnley were left one point short of the premier merit division and furious with the league. Meanwhile, Athletic began their campaign on Saturday with a creditable draw at Rotherham. The Yorkshire side were older and stronger than Athletic, who had to fight all the way to hold out in defence. Goalkeeper Tom Whittle (16) was in excellent form, but he was finally beaten after 82 minutes after a poor header back by defender Alex Rock. Rock made amends when he headed in a corner five minutes later and Athletic could have snatched a surprise winner in injury time when they hit the bar during a goalmouth scramble.

UNITED will face Oldham Athletic in this season’s Manchester Senior Cup final. That meeting, which will be staged towards the end of the season, was confirmed following United’s convincing win over Bury at Gigg Lane last night. The Reds took a little time to get into their stride against a plucky Bury side but once Ian Fitzpatrick had grabbed the opener in the 35th minute the outcome of the game was rarely in doubt. United increased their lead six minutes later when a quickly taken corner found the Bury defence napping and Jonathan Greening scored from close range. United were gifted the third goal on the hour when Bury keeper Ian Wilcock’s clearance fell at Bojan Djordjic’s feet and he quickly switched the ball to Greening who scored with ease. Djordjic sealed a fine personal display he blasted the fourth with a stunning free-kick.