29th September 2000
29th September 2000 ATHLETIC manager Andy Ritchie hammered out a message of defiance today as his side prepared for the latest challenge of their crumbling season. After a dismal run of eight league matches without a win, Ritchie insisted his under-pressure players have got what it takes to escape the relegation zone. Athletic must get the midweek thrashing at Sheffield Wednesday out of their system when they tackle Cambridge United at Boundary Park.
Ritchie can call on a quartet of fit-again players in Mark Hotte, Chris Lightfoot, Neil Adams and Carlo Corazzin, but sixth-placed Cambridge are the surprise of the season so far. "We need a win tomorrow," the manager admitted. "And it's going to be difficult against a team who are going very well. "Their confidence will be riding high and they haven't lost away from home, but I don't worry about records or think about things like that. "If we show our strengths and play to our capabilities, I know we can beat anyone. "The four lads coming back have all said they are fit and raring to go.
We'll see what everyone does in training today, but I do have a team in mind. "It showed the other night that we were lacking experience, so hopefully we can get them back to provide us with older heads. We could do with that at the moment." Wednesday's Worthington Cup rout was Athletic's second five-goal defeat in a fortnight. And Ritchie will make changes in defence. On-loan Lightfoot is certain to return following a groin strain, while Adams, who had a knee problem, will also regain his place. Up front, Corazzin and Mark Allott are set to be reunited. But players including Barry Prenderville, Mark Watson and Craig Dudley are threatened with the axe.
ATHLETIC (from): Kelly, McNiven, Lightfoot, Holt, Adams, Innes, Smith, Boshell, Duxbury, Allott, Corazzin, Prenderville, Watson, Dudley, Hotte, Tipton, Jones, Salt, Sugden, Miskelly.
CAMBRIDGE
(from): Perez, McAnespie, Duncan, Dreyer, Cowan, Russell, Ashbee, Wanless,
Youngs, Abbey, Axeldal, Mackenzie, Slade, Marshall, Taylor, McNeil.
Dad’s
Army keep snipers at bay BEFORE
Sheffield Wednesday sent Athletic into the naughty corner with a 5-1 Worthington
Cup caning, manager Paul Jewell dubbed his youthful side the Grange Hill
XI. When Cambridge United arrive at Boundary
Park for tomorrow’s league game, it will be more like a parade of Dad’s
Army. Cambridge only just escaped the
drop last season, finishing four points above the relegation zone after
a year of constant toil. While most lower-division
clubs rely on youth to pull them through, manager Roy McFarland took a
different option and gambled on experience as the first stage of recovery. Four
free transfers later, Cambridge had a defence which was ageing but highly
effective. Indeed, before last week’s
3-0 home defeat to Bristol Rovers they had conceded only four goals in
seven games. The first to arrive was
Bradford’s John Dreyer who, at 37, quickly became the lynchpin of that
mean and disciplined defence. Newcastle
goalkeeper Lionel Perez (33) also dropped out of the Premiership to make
permanent his loan spell of last season. Tom
Cowan (31), formerly of Rangers, Huddersfield and Burnley, has become a
reliable fixture at left-back. And Steve
McAnespie, the baby of the quartet at a mere 28, is showing the form at
right-back which persuaded both Bolton and Fulham to sign him in the past.
The
average age of McFarland’s recruits is 32 but, while that may seem a policy
based on myopia, it has also helped to stabilise the club. Having
been widely tipped for another battle against relegation, Cambridge are
silencing the doubters from a lofty position in the play-off zone. McFarland
believes the gloomy pre-season predictions have been a factor in his side’s
flying start. He explained: “I think
it’s an incentive for everyone. We found it hard to survive last season
and hard to deal with the second division, but we stuck at it and it was
the spirit and togetherness in the dressing room which pulled us through. “I
did my homework and the major signing I wanted to bring in was John Dreyer
— that was the main thing and the first of the signings. “Once
we had him on board, it was quite easy persuading the others to come and
join us. “The major thing now is to finish
one place above last season. If we manage that, it will be an achievement.” Since
the turn of the year, McFarland has brought in well over £2million
from the sale of his strikers.
Martin
Butler joined Reading in January, while Trevor Benjamin made a close-season
move to Leicester for £1.5m. As
Benjamin was the 23-goal top scorer — and had a purple patch of scoring
in eight consecutive games during March and April — Cambridge had to fill
a gaping void with little money. To make
their achievement all the more remarkable, the entire team cost a total
of £35,000. The men up front tomorrow
should be Zema Abbey and Jonas Axeldal, another muscular pairing to continue
the club’s tradition. Abbey cost £15,000
from Hitchin Town and, after only 15 games in the first team, has already
been watched by West Ham and Derby. Axeldal,
meanwhile, is a Swede who topped the scoring chart for Ipswich reserves. The
two men have helped Cambridge rattle in 14 goals so far — only two sides
have managed more — including a 6-1 demolition of Rotherham. In
this age of Premiership, Premiership, Premiership, many clubs in the second
division have become overwhelmed by apathy.
Supporters
have drifted away in their droves. And you can probably count Athletic
among the victims. Not so, it seems,
at Cambridge, where an organised group is rallying to the cause and trying
to raise £1million to aid ground redevelopment. It
may be ambitious, but it shows there is good will and confidence backing
them all the way. As they look up from
their familiar place in the lower reaches of the table, Athletic must be
wishing their own fans would give a similar show of faith.
Ananova
Latics
duo to face Cambridge Oldham
hope to have midfielder Neil Adams and defender Mark Hotte back in their
squad for their Second Division clash with Cambridge. The pair both missed
the midweek Worthington Cup hammering by Sheffield Wednesday with knocks,
but are hoping to be fit to take on the U's. Defender Mark Innes (ankle)
and striker Carlo Corazzin (hamstring) are both doubtful for the match
after picking up injuries against the Owls. John Sheridan and Shaun Garnett
both remain on the long-term casualty list.
Meanwhile,
Cambridge United manager Roy McFarland is looking for a little bit of revenge
when his men make the trip to Boundary Park. Athletic did the double over
the U's last season and McFarland said: "We are smarting a bit after last
season when they beat us twice, it would be nice to put the record straight."
But he is fully aware that Andy Ritchie's side will be looking towards
a return to form themselves after their crushing 5-1 Worthington Cup collapse
at Sheffield Wednesday. "They will be more than aware of the need to put
their cup result behind them," added McFarland. "Conceding five goals is
never ideal and it can lead to one of two things. "They will either be
firing and determined to win, or the result will pray on their minds and
can leave them nervous. Obviously, I hope it's the latter."
But
the manager prefers to concentrate on his own players and said: "We are
not in too bad a run of form at the moment, although we had a blip in the
defeat against Bristol Rovers. "That was a setback, but they put Everton
out of the Worthington Cup so that result and they are the best side we
have played this season." McFarland is sweating over the fitness of his
captain Paul Wanless who is suffering the effects of a virus, but will
play if he recovers in time. Midfielder Neil Mustoe is rated as very doubtful
after twisting his ankle.
DIARY
DATES The Latics Youth
Team will take on Preston North End at Boundary Park in the Lancashire
FA Youth Cup on Tuesday 10th October - kick off 7.30 pm - admission prices
to the game are £3 for adults and £2 for concessions. All spectators
must pay as this is a Lancashire FA Youth Cup fixture.
The Reserves
will also be in cup action in the Manchester Senior Cup against Manchester
Utd at Bury's Gigg Lane ground on Thursday 12th October - kick off 7 pm
- and again at Boundary Park in the Manchester Senior Cup against Bury
on Wednesday 18th October - kick off 7 pm.
Speaking to U's Net for this week's On The Spot, McFarland told Will Jones, "I was disappointed last year in our performance at Oldham. We were scrapping for points and I don't think we performed very well on the day. It was a great opportunity to pick up some points but we didn't.
"The pleasing thing for us at the moment is that we are in a good vein of form regarding our football and the goals we have been scoring. Oldham are struggling a bit this season and conceded quite a few goals in midweek against Sheffield Wednesday and won't be at their best. It's important now, against this type of opponent, that we grab the opportunity with both hands and hopefully take those three points."
Them: Latics have only won once this season and are third from bottom. Their lynch pin, ex-Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder John Sheridan who won 35 Irish international caps, is still missing and Jack Scott of the JKLatics site writes, "Latics' demise, after a 4-1 win on the opening day of the season, can be traced to Sheridan's injury a few weeks ago. Without him we have no creativity in midfield."
Their Canadian International striker Carlo Corazzin (47 Caps and a former Cambridge United star) was rested as a precaution following a slight hamstring strain for the 5-1 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in the mid-week Worthington Cup tie but should be fit, as should ex Norwich midfielder Neil Adams, who again missed the midweek match with a slight knock. Central defender Shaun Garnett is still injured and his place will probably be taken by Chris Lightfoot, on loan from Crewe, who missed the Sheffield Wednesday game with a minor injury, but again he should be fit. Midfielder Paul Rickers is still out with a gashed knee and is unlikely to play. His place will probably be taken by Paul Smith, a winger on loan from Burnley.
Prediction: After back-to-back wins in which we scored ten goals, the home defeat by Bristol Rovers provided a wake up call for players and supporters alike. The players were rusty after an enforced lay-off thanks to the controversial Swindon postponement, and they will be raring to go and eager to get back to winning ways at Oldham. Some Oldham fans already seem resigned to defeat but I think the game will be tougher for the U's than some think and it's hard to say which way this one will go.
They won't find it easy to score against us but they have home advantage and are in search of only their second win of the season. United go looking for the points to keep us in the top half of the table, so pressed for a prediction I would tip us for a narrow away win.