Miller's lose key man

THE players who have fallen from grace during Athletic’s slump will be battling to regain their places tonight. Five men with a realistic chance of starting Sunday’s league match are named in the reserve team to face Rotherham. The match at Stalybridge Celtic (7 pm kick-off) is a chance for Mark Hotte, Paul Jones, Phil Salt, Matthew Tipton and Mark Allott to stake their claims. Manager Andy Ritchie will be watching closely as, following the dismal home defeat against Cambridge, he could make changes in a bid to resurrect Athletic’s season. 

In the second division match at Rotherham on Sunday, Ritchie’s men must improve a defensive record which is the joint-worst in English football. They have conceded 22 goals in 10 league games, plus another eight in Worthington Cup ties against Sheffield Wednesday. Hotte and Jones were regular members of that backline until slipping out of favour last month. Hotte has had a one-match ban and a slight knee injury, while Jones was axed for the first time since he joined the club last year. Athletic’s strikers tonight will be Allott and Tipton, who look to be vying for one place up front at Millmoor. With Carlo Corazzin away on international duty, a vacancy has come up alongside the recalled Craig Dudley. 

Salt is also in contention for weekend as Ritchie may be looking for a calm head and tidy passer to help him turn the tide in midfield. Also featuring in the Avon Insurance League match is trialist Colin Pluck, a midfielder/wing-back who is currently playing for a club in Iceland. 

Reserves: Campbell, Hotte, Jones, Futcher, Pluck, Smith, Salt, McLaughlin, Walsh, Tipton, Allott. Subs: Sugden, Haining, Doran, Wright, Hall. 

Athletic have arranged their first two ties in this season’s Manchester Senior Cup. The reserves play Manchester United at Gigg Lane on Thursday, October 12 (7 pm), and Bury at Boundary Park on October 18 (7 pm). The youth team meet Preston at Boundary Park next Tuesday (7.30 pm) in the first round of the Lancashire FA Youth Cup. 

They could face a local derby in the national FA Youth Cup after being drawn against either Ashton United or Crook Town.

SHAUN GARNETT has leapt to the defence of his manager, insisting the dressing room is “110 per cent” behind Andy Ritchie. Garnett, a senior professional who has been sorely missed since breaking his right hand three weeks ago, believes Ritchie is being let down by Athletic’s woefully out-of-form players. Giving an honest view from the club’s inner sanctum, Garnett also revealed he had sympathy for a manager whose hands are tied by Athletic’s financial shackles. He declared: “I’m totally behind the gaffer — 110 per cent — and so are the rest of the lads. Because of the money situation, it’s a very, very hard job for him. “He can’t go out and buy someone to solve injury problems or to strengthen what he thinks he is a weak part of the team. “If he is coming under pressure from people, it’s a bit unfair because he doesn’t have full scope to do what he wants to do. He can’t look any further than loan players.

“The lads have to take a lot of responsibility for our position because the gaffer can’t do anything once we cross the white line at three o’clock on a Saturday. “It’s unfortunate that managers tend to take a lot of the blame — but the players shouldn’t get off Scott free.” Ten games into the season, Athletic are in a worse position than at the same stage last year. They are two places lower, have one point fewer and have already seen fans voting with their feet — home support has tumbled by around a thousand in less than two months. As a despairing Ritchie pointed out after Saturday’s home defeat by Cambridge, key men such as Garnett, John Sheridan and Paul Rickers will inevitably be missed when injuries bite deep into the squad. No fewer than five players have made their Athletic debuts already this season, while there have been absences for regulars including Neil Adams, Andrew Holt and Carlo Corazzin. Coming to terms with a catalogue of setbacks is never easy, no matter how tough the circumstances surrounding them. But as many people within the club felt this could be the year for a re-launch, the disappointment is felt even more keenly. And by no-one more than Ritchie.

Garnett said: “We aren’t playing anywhere near our potential, and I do think we have a lot of it. “Carlo has come in and added something to the squad, plus the younger lads are getting better. “We haven’t changed an awful lot since last season, when we had one of the best records in the division for a while. “It has just turned full circle, which is very frustrating. And we are all working very hard to turn things back round. “The gaffer has his own way of coaching and motivating us and none of that has changed, either. “We have had a few rollicking's from him this season, but they have been deserved because in some games we just haven’t played. “We have been told off collectively, which is fair enough. The league table doesn’t lie. “But we haven’t suddenly become a bad side. We just need a bit of time to sort everything out and then I’m sure we’ll really improve. “Our position is very disappointing because we had a good start and there is a good bunch of lads at the club who all know we can do better.

“Believe it or not, the spirit in the dressing room is still good, considering we have only managed the one win. “Okay, the players aren’t full of confidence at the moment, as you can see from what’s happening during games. “We are going to need a bit of luck, as you always do when you are fighting to get out of it, but we are sticking together and I’m absolutely convinced we’ll get it right. “We are conceding too many sloppy goals, which was the case when I was in the team as well. “But no-one likes picking up the paper and seeing themselves right down there at the bottom. It isn’t a nice feeling — and that should give us all the motivation we need.” Ritchie is relieved to have a rare free week in which to prepare for the next big test. Sunday’s trip to Rotherham has taken on extra significance, as all matches will until Athletic secure their second league win. It could also see the return of defensive strongman Garnett, whose injury has coincided with 17 goals being shipped in only six league and cup games.

The 30-year-old broke his hand at Wrexham, where he also saw the third red card of his career with Athletic. “It has been really frustrating sitting on the sidelines,” Garnett added. “But the physio (Phil Stock) has had me working hard and a broken hand doesn’t stop you doing that. “I’ve probably been training even more than usual because you have to make up for not playing in games. “The pin is coming out on Thursday — and I can’t wait to get back.”

THE pitch problems which blighted Athletic last season are already returning to haunt them. Chief executive Alan Hardy admits that, despite £40,000 of repair work, the Boundary Park surface could soon be back in the quagmire state it reached last winter and spring. Such was Athletic’s concern in May, they told Oldham RL club to switch their remaining home games so that work could begin immediately. They removed the top surface and reseeded, but there are now fears that the previous problems areas are contaminated.

The Roughyeds return to Boundary Park on November 19 and their season stretches on until July. Athletic have taken the reserves’ league matches to Stalybridge in a bid to protect the surface, but rutting and bare patches are likely to develop soon. Mr Hardy said: “There is a disease which is turning the grass yellow and, if a divot comes out, it isn’t growing back quickly enough, if at all. “It seems to be something inherent in the pitch structure, so we are having tests to see if it is contaminated. “The record amounts of rain we have had, at a time when it was supposed to be summer, haven’t helped at all. “The pitch looked fine when the work had been done, but we are very concerned about it at the moment.”

MATTHEW TIPTON has been dropped by Wales under-21s — and it could cost Athletic vital league points. With Carlo Corazzin and David Miskelly both on international duty this weekend, one more call-up would have allowed Athletic to postpone their match at Rotherham. Tipton has been involved in under-21 football since he was just 17, but he has recently fallen out of favour and won’t be involved in Friday night’s game against Norway.

It means Athletic will have to go ahead at Millmoor and manage without both their number-one striker and back-up goalkeeper. Against Athletic’s wishes, Corazzin flies out to Canada this week for a World Cup qualifying tie against Panama. He is in line for his landmark 50th cap. Miskelly, meanwhile, hopes to play in Northern Ireland under-21s’ European qualifiers against Denmark in Belfast, on Friday, and in Iceland next Tuesday.

THE Boundary Park revolving door is still in overdrive as Athletic’s search for new talent goes on. With no money available to delve into the transfer market, five more trialists have joined the club in the last fortnight. Trialists have become an everyday feature at Athletic, with players arriving from as far afield as Cameroon, Australia and the Faroe Islands. The policy paid off when Paul Jones and Barry Prenderville were signed permanently, while Mark Watson could join the list of full-time staff later this month. The latest new faces included Frenchman Blaise Mamoum, but the forward was released after one appearance in the reserves. Hibernian goalkeeper Tom Phillips, who played in the same match, did well but also left as he was considered no better than the ’keepers already at the club.

Completing the quintet were ex-Sheffield Wednesday youngster Matthew Kirkpatrick, defender Damien Lynch, who played for Leeds against Athletic in pre-season, and a player currently in Icelandic football, Colin Pluck. Pluck was recommended by former Boundary Park midfielder Toddy Orlygsson.

SUPPORTERS worried about Athletic’s decline will soon have their chance to grill the manager, chairman and chief executive. The re-arranged fans’ forum finally goes ahead on Thursday, October 19, having been put back due to a poor initial response. Forums were recommended by the Football Task Force, whose job was to look after the interests of fans. Athletic’s panel is set to include Andy Ritchie, David Brierley, Alan Hardy and — to help answer questions about ground redevelopment — a representative of the local authority.

PAUL BEAVERS, who left Athletic for Darlington in a free transfer this season, scored a late winner in Saturday’s division three game against Carlisle. It was the striker’s first league goal for almost 17 months and followed a telling-off from his new manager, Gary Bennett. Beavers was singled out after a disappointing display in the Worthington Cup tie at Bradford, where Darlington lost 7-2.

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Guy Branston serves a one match ban this Sunday, after picking up five yellow cards so far this season. The former Leicester man has been a rock at the centre of the Millers defence all season, and with Moore having few other options at the back through injury and players in poor form, he may well decide to look for another loan signing to bring in before Sunday's Oldham game.

Dave Artell finishes his one match ban after the game, but currently Brian Wilsterman and Rob Scott are the only two fit centre-backs at the club with first team experience, other than 36 year old Alan Knill who had to re-register as a player for last Saturday's game where he was on the bench. Moore could also give a debut to youngster Shaun Barker, who was on the bench last Saturday, but it would be a big step up for the former trainee, as Moore would prefer to phase him in gradually.