3rd April 2000     

Latics sell 10% stake to Premiership club
Chelsea are favourites
Stop moaning says Stitch

A TOP Premiership football club is to buy a stake in Oldham Athletic. An announcement will be made tomorrow about what is being described by Athletic as a ground-breaking deal which will result in "significant financial benefits" for the Boundary Park club. Athletic chairman David Brierley revealed exclusively that he approached the unnamed Premiership club three months ago, and they have since been finalising the link, and the level of investment the Premiership club will make. Mr Brierley said: "This is an exciting development for Oldham Athletic and one which confirms that we are making progress. "Our new partners are as excited as ourselves at the prospects. "But I would like to stress that Oldham Athletic will continue to operate as an independent club."

It is thought to be the first such formal link between two clubs in English football — although others, including Liverpool and Crewe, have long had loose ties. The Athletic deal is understood to involve the club purchasing 9.9 per cent of the shares in the Boundary Park outfit. Just as television companies are buying into football clubs, so clubs themselves can hold a stake in others, providing it does not exceed 10 per cent. The club says that, initially, the benefits will be at youth level, but there is every possibility that, as the working relationship develops, there also be loans for first-team players. The deal would also involve the two clubs running a joint Academy — a Football Association-approved centre for learning. Athletic currently run a successful School of Excellence, but a long-term goal to achieve Academy status has been prevented by lack of funds. Mr Brierley said: "We have always prided ourselves on our youth policy, and our ability to produce players for our first team, and this link with a leading Premiership club confirms that view." 

TEENAGER Ryan Sugden could be in line for a surprise Athletic call-up tomorrow night when play-off chasing Stoke visit Boundary Park. Sugden (19) is showing his best form of the season and now has a big chance of making his full league debut. The striker's appearance as a substitute gave Athletic a spark they had been missing during Saturday's hard-earned home win against Cambridge. Sugden missed chances to open his senior goalscoring account, but his all-round display thrust him into contention for the Stoke match. The Bradford-based youngster impressed manager Andy Ritchie, who has warned that no-one is guaranteed their place at this hectic time of the season. The idea of resting people will bring squad players into the equation and Sugden, after 12 league games as a substitute, is at the head of the queue.

Athletic emerged from Saturday's clash with no new injuries, although Neil Adams, Craig Dudley and Richard Graham were already on the sick-list. While seventh-placed Stoke are sure to be tough opponents, Ritchie's side will go into the game bolstered by a hat-trick of victories. The latest came against a physical Cambridge team who held out until defender Andrew Holt hit his third goal of the season. Ritchie said: "They made it very difficult, but we kept working hard and eventually got the reward we deserved." Athletic's Manchester Senior Cup tie against Manchester United at The Cliff has been brought forward from Thursday to Wednesday (kick-off 2pm). The reserves will also go to Scunthorpe on Thursday, April 20 in the last four of the Pontins League Cup. Oldham Athletic Supporters' Association are holding a quiz night in the Boundary Park sponsors' lounge tonight (8pm).

THERE are times in football when a head full of magic gets you nowhere fast. Even if it goes against the grain, some games demand that extravagance and flair be pushed aside in favour of hard graft and patience. This was one such occasion, and Athletic passed the test by grinding out victory against a weakened Cambridge side who would have been delirious with a goalless draw. The first half was truly awful and the second no more than mediocre. But Andy Ritchie’s scrappers plugged away gamely to break the resistance of no-nonsense, no-frills opponents. The third win in succession came courtesy of Andrew Holt’s 75th-minute strike, capping a strong individual display in a match high on attrition but low in quality. Athletic’s resilience also made it six games without defeat and lifted them to 11th in the table — as high as they have been all season. The reasons for the dire fare of the first half were many and varied.

Cambridge’s defensive outlook was the over-riding problem, but their opponents didn’t often help their own cause. Distribution from the back was erratic, with John Sheridan being inexplicably missed out as longer balls soared over his head. Holt didn’t produce enough of his trademark runs down the left — although Scott McNiven was more adventurous on the other flank — and the midfield rarely got forward. As a result, Mark Allott and Steve Whitehall toiled in vain to hold the ball up front. It was a similar story from Cambridge but, as an away team in desperate need of points, their approach was understandably different. The U’s packed their defence at the first hint of danger, ensuring Athletic came up against an impenetrable wall of bodies. They sometimes had as many as seven men strung across the back and were never short of volunteers to join the massed ranks. As the minutes ticked by and the stalemate remained, Cambridge’s ambition disappeared altogether — to the extent that they had one shot on target in the whole 90 minutes. That made it even harder for Athletic, who stepped up after the break without ever moving out of second gear.

The biggest factors in their improvement were Holt and Sheridan, both of whom began to play at something like their best. Holt was much bolder in attack, a fact illustrated perfectly by his winning goal. With Sheridan given enough possession to make the most of those runs, Athletic had the width they needed to get behind a stubborn, and often physical, visiting backline. The biggest bonuses for the hosts were another clean sheet, making it three in five games, and Ryan Sugden’s appearance as a substitute. Sugden was lively and inventive. It was just a pity he missed three late goalscoring chances as a first senior strike would have worked wonders for his confidence at the end of a season hit by illness. Athletic’s only change saw Whitehall recalled up front for the injured Craig Dudley. There was an enforced reshuffle for relegation-threatened Cambridge, who responded to losing both strikers by bringing in three more and adopting a 4-3-3 formation — in theory, at least. Indeed, it was the visitors who made the brighter start as Athletic developed the nasty habit of giving away possession. The general standard, however, bordered on abysmal, with neither side able to put together any move worth noting. The only remote threats to goal came from crosses which didn’t reach their target and a pass from Sheridan which brought a save from on-loan ’keeper Lionel Perez after eluding everyone in front of him.

It took 25 minutes for the first effort to arrive from Cambridge’s Nathan Lamey, who headed straight at Gary Kelly from a corner. That moment sparked a veritable flood of thrills and spills — all things are relative, remember — as Whitehall fired wide and Allott hit a 20-yard volley to bring a scrambling stop from Perez. An injury to Lamey saw the visitors bring on new signing Jonathan Hunt, making his debut on loan from Sheffield United. But the infusion of new blood made precious little difference. Having begun badly, the game continued to go downhill until the merciful relief of the half-time whistle. The second period started with an unseemly melee in the Cambridge box after Allott and Scott Eustace tangled while chasing a deep cross. Both players escaped with a telling-off from referee John Brandwood, who sometimes needed eyes in the back of his head on an afternoon of off-the-ball niggles. Athletic came close to the breakthrough after 57 minutes when Whitehall did well down the left and picked out McNiven in another advanced position at the far post. McNiven whipped in a shot from a tight angle, but Cambridge skipper Paul Wanless produced a timely deflection to clear off the line.

Athletic were now much busier and the tempo was raised further when Sugden and Mark Innes replaced Whitehall and Paul Rickers. Innes tried his luck from long range, but the hosts continued to struggle for chances as Cambridge sensed a point was within their reach. The U’s finally buckled, however, 15 minutes from time when Holt produced a striker’s finish to claim his second goal in three games. He was found superbly when fellow wing-back McNiven sent a raking long ball in from the right. Holt slid in at the far post, never breaking stride as he met the pass at full pace and drilled beyond Perez from 10 yards. The goal lifted a weight from Athletic’s shoulders and they went on to play a far more expansive game. With the visitors forced to emerge from their defensive shell, Sugden exploited the space by running through and firing just wide. The teenage striker had another good opening when he was sent clear by Duxbury, but he never looked to have full control before Perez blocked him. And, in injury time, Sugden again finished second-best in a one-on-one with the ’keeper, allowing Perez to save with his legs when he could have bought that vital extra second. A cooler head, of course, should come with experience. And Sugden is a youngster who can play a big part in Athletic’s bid for a top-10 finish.

MANAGER Andy Ritchie leapt to the defence of his players after Athletic edged to a narrow win over struggling Cambridge. Ritchie was disappointed that parts of the crowd were critical of his team, pointing out that Cambridge had arrived at Boundary Park in an ultra-defensive mood. “Some people were moaning at half-time,” he said. “But you have to look at the way Cambridge came to play. “They are very physical, they had one shot all the game and they didn’t give us any time on the ball, so we ended up knocking it long like they did. “We got the ball down in the second half and we started to play much better. “We are obviously defending well at the moment and I don’t see why people are getting on the lads’ backs. “They are trying their best and, in the end, they deserved to win the game. “I have said before that teams come here and try to catch us on the break. “We have to make all the running and it’s very difficult to play when the other side just want to defend. “We have to make all our own luck here, but our league position tells you we are getting better. “There’s no doubt we need to bring a couple of players in, but the lads have come a long way since last season. “There were one or two lapses in concentration when we tried to play our way out of trouble, but there’s more character and more confidence. I think we are definitely moving forward.”

Ritchie’s substitutions helped to enliven the performance and he was pleased with the form of Mark Innes and Ryan Sugden. He said: “Paul Rickers wasn’t at the races today, so Mark came on and I thought he was excellent. “Steve Whitehall wasn’t as good as he can be either, and I thought Ryan deserved a game because he has done very well in the reserves. “In the end, I felt a bit sorry for him. If he had shown a few less nerves, he could probably have had a hat-trick.” Wing-back Andrew Holt was also praised by his manager after hitting the winner and picking up the man-of-the-match award. Ritchie said: “Holty did well again. He is getting forward and that’s what we want him to do whenever he can. “In the first half, we should have made more inroads down the right because it was Scott McNiven who had the space. “But it was vice-versa in the second and the lads need to realise things like that during games. You can’t afford to be one-dimensional.”

CAMBRIDGE United boss Roy McFarland was critical of his players' second-half attitude after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Oldham. The manager, who saw his reshuffled side hold their hosts 0-0 until the interval, said United paid the price for lacking ambition. "We had weathered the storm but we just didn't take it on and we were very disappointing. "I thought in the second half we were very negative in what we were trying to do. It was as if they thought the job was done and they were happy to see it out for a point, which is a major disappointment to me." McFarland praised the efforts of young strikers Zema Abbey, Nathan Lamey -- who limped off with a dead leg after 39 minutes -- and Daniel Chillingworth, but admitted the absence of Trevor Benjamin had proved crucial. "We weren't able to hold the ball, but Trevor will be back for tomorrow's game with Bury which I think will be a big, big boost. "He's scored six in six previously and if I was truthful I would say we missed him on Saturday without a doubt. We overcame it to an extent with our first half performance but we never took it a stage further after that. "It was very disappointing and we must learn from that because you can't afford to think in terms of settling for a point."

Saturday's defeat adds to the importance of tomorrow's home clash with Bury -- United are now just one point above the relegation zone -- but the manager had mixed news over the weekend on the availability front. Benjamin will be back, but Lamey is a major doubt after limping off and it still looks too early for Tom Youngs to make a comeback. Veteran defender Clive Wilson will also miss the game after suffering a reaction to his injured knee on Friday. The former Tottenham player had been on the verge of a recall to the first team squad after a fortnight back in training. At least Neil Mustoe emerged unscathed after his man-marking role on Oldham's John Sheridan. "I was pleased with Muzzie because I thought he did pretty well. He nullified Sheridan until we changed our system in the last 10 minutes," said McFarland.

A RARE moment of quality in an otherwise forgettable match was enough to consign Cambridge United to their first away defeat in six games, leaving them just one point above the Division Two drop zone. Oldham's Boundary Park may be the country's highest ground, but the football on display was largely from the nether regions as both sides struggled to cope with the heavily-sanded pitch. Perhaps the pre-match tannoy announcer was trying to forewarn the 4,988 supporters when he reminded them the Latics were sponsored by Slumberland. It's certainly hard to think of a more appropriate football-business partnership. Goalmouth action was at a premium throughout, and although Oldham upped the pace after the interval, it was hardly a game to set the pulse racing. The decisive moment came 16 minutes from time when the home side's right and left-backs combined with telling effect to punish United's dozing defence. Right-back Scott McNiven was the catalyst, sending an inch-perfect cross-field ball over Jason Kavanagh to allow his foraging colleague Andy Holt to dispatch a clinical left-foot volley past Lionel Perez. It was a move of rare class in a match of disjointed mediocrity and proved enough to kill off United's hopes of returning with at least a point. Substitute Ryan Sugden could have extended the Latics' lead late on, but he squandered a trio of good chances in the dying minutes as United got caught pushing forward.

Although obviously disappointed, boss Roy McFarland could have few complaints after seeing his side muster just one shot on goal in 90 minutes -- the power and pace of Trevor Benjamin and Tom Youngs was sorely missed, despite the manager employing an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation. Young strikers Nathan Lamey and Zema Abbey, the latter in his first start for the club, both battled hard in support of John Taylor, but their efforts were largely fruitless as time and again the final ball went awry. When Lamey limped off shortly before half time, he was replaced by loanee Jonathan Hunt, but his debut contribution was a largely anonymous affair, bar one perceptive through ball to Neil Mustoe which was mis-controlled, as the home side took control of the scrappy second half. The late search for an equaliser also saw Daniel Chillingworth make his league debut, replacing Taylor in the 78th minute as United tried in vain for a share of the points.

But playing with three strikers gives no guarantee of goals, and United's decision to by-pass midfield brought criticism from Oldham manager Andy Ritchie after the match. "Teams come here to try and catch us on the break and we have to make all the running, and it's very difficult to play against teams that are well organised and hit long balls over the top. "They were a very physical side, but I knew what to expect and I told the lads. "If they didn't believe me they soon found out in the first half," said Ritchie. "They tried to force us to play their way, which is what they did in the first half. The ball was a bit like a hot potato, but in the second half we started to get it down and play a bit and I thought we deserved to win," he added. McFarland's decision to drop John Hansen in favour of Abbey paid dividends of sorts for 45 minutes, but United's three-man midfield became swamped after the break despite the tireless work put in by Mustoe, Paul Wanless and Ian Ashbee. Oldham playmaker John Sheridan was effectively nullified by Mustoe's terrier-like performance, but the home team amended their style accordingly in the second half and brought more width to their attacks.

McNiven gave early warning of what was to follow when he shot across the United goal in the 50th minute and the home crowd came to life as two Oldham penalty appeals were correctly turned down. If not quite building a head of steam, Oldham were at least forcing the pace and the introduction of Mark Innes for Paul Rickers gave them further midfield control midway through the second half. As the game wore on, United found it increasingly difficult to retain the ball and eventually paid the price when McNiven found Holt for the 76th minute winner. Perez had no chance with that, but did well to twice deny Sugden late on, first with the aid of a desparate Scott Eustace tackle and then with the some agile footwork.The young striker also hit a third chance wide as Sheridan exploited the gaps in United's advancing defence. News of Oxford's home win against Bournemouth was a double blow for United, but the players must regroup quickly before tomorrow's vital home clash with Bury. They are now just one point ahead of Cardiff, who must travel to promotion-chasing Gillingham.

The only bright spot on an otherwise dull afternoon was the Football Association's choice of officials. However unhappy United were to see referee John Brandwood -- he of the Bolton FA Cup defeat -- they could not have failed to raise a wry smile at his assistants: Mr Brand and Mr Wood.Someone at the FA with a sense of humour?

Surely not.

CAMBRIDGE UNITED: Perez, Kavanagh, McNeil,Eustace,Joseph, Wanless, Ashbee , Mustoe, Abbey, Taylor Lamey.

Substitutes: Hunt 6 (Lamey 39 mins), Chilllingworth (Taylor 78 mins), Hansen (Kavanagh 88). Not used: Van Heusden, Chenery

El Banna was the type of player, who would pick the ball up behind the defence, take on the defenders infront, and now and again beat them. This is what we need. However, the reason Ritchie must have felt it necessary to let him go, is because on beating the defenders, he never put the ball in the back of the net (i.e. 2 missed chances vs. Man Utd reserves). This is our problem. And taking on yet another player who doesn't have the ruthlessness to stick it away would be a mistake. But true, I would have liked to have seen him being given a little more of a chance to adapt, and progress. Especially, as the deadline day has gone, and there is no-one else to look at now.

Looks like it's back to the drawing board again, anyway...