9th November 2000  

News from Stoke

THE future looks brighter for Athletic following crisis talks in Brussels about the transfer system. There were grave concerns that the club would have to go part-time if fees were scrapped but, at a meeting in the Belgian capital, some of those fears were allayed. Chief Executive Alan Hardy was given the chance to grill EC officials, who want football to fall in line with other industries and allow freedom of movement for employees. Its plans would see the current transfer system collapse. But there is now hope that smaller clubs, who sell to survive after rearing young talent, will receive a compensation package when those players move on. 

Mr Hardy said: “I knew it wasn’t a fait accompli, but there was a big chance of clubs receiving nothing at all for developing their players. “The news I was given was quite encouraging. I was reassured that the Commission doesn’t want to jeopardise the survival of clubs, or to see them go out of business. “They are keen to keep as many clubs as possible so that there is better competition and more choice for supporters. “The whole situation is a minefield and there is a lot of work to do before it’s all finalised. But I was delighted with the chance to put our case and the response I received was positive.” 

The next step is for FIFA to present their counter-proposals, which must be revealed before December 31. There are four possible outcomes as football prepares for one of the most radical shake-ups in its history. For Athletic, the worst case scenario is that players will have the right to walk away from clubs, provided they give one month’s notice. There could be minimum and maximum contract lengths or transfer windows every few months when players are allowed to move. The concern here is that cash flow would suffer. Finally, there could be room for smaller clubs to receive compensation instead of a fee. It is unclear how this would be calculated, but it would be based on the cost of developing the player over the years. Mr Hardy, who was accompanied on the trip by Athletic fans Lionel Martin, Keith Clegg and Trevor Storer, said it was vital to reward clubs for their investment in young players. 

Athletic’s youth team play Crook Town at Boundary Park tonight (7.45) in the first round of the FA Youth Cup. Admission is £3 for adults and £2 for OAPs and juniors. Season-ticket holders have until 5pm today to buy seat tickets for the FA Cup tie at Hednesford on November 18. They will go on sale to members tomorrow and, if any of the 300 allocation are left, on open sale from Wednesday. For standing, fans pay on the day.

Teamtalk Oldham

Veteran midfielder John Sheridan will be back in action today as he plays in a behind-closed-doors reserve match against Bolton.
The 35-year-old hasn't played since the first game of the season when the Latics beat Port Vale 4-1 but is now ready and will play a part in this specially arranged fixture. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder went into hospital for keyhole surgery to clear some debris from an old injury and was only expected to be out for a few weeks. However, his recovery was slow and hindered by several setbacks. Oldham boss Andy Ritchie: "I don't want to push him too hard and the plan is to give him half a game."
Ritchie is also using the game to give match practice to his first team substitutes who have been without playing time for a fortnight because of postponements due to the recent weather conditions.

Andrew Holt, Danny Boshell, Phil Salt and Matthew Tipton will all be given run-outs. It is also good news for a couple of trialists the Oldham boss has been keen to check out. Faroe Islander Ossur Hansen has been at Boundary Park for three weeks but has up to now managed only half a game. The 29-year-old international is due to go home next week and is hoping to impress enough before then to make a permanent move to English football. Teenage defender Jason Lanns will pull on a Latics a shirt for the first time. The 19-year-old right back is still under contract at Elland Road but they agreed to his request to go out on trial. Boundary Park was his first choice and he will play in two reserve team games.

Oldham boss Andy Ritchie has no new injury worries ahead of Saturday's tough trip to Stoke. And they will be boosted by the return of defensive strongman Shaun Garnett, who is free after serving a one-match ban with Paul Jones the man looking favourite to make way. The 22-year-old returned to the side against Swansea last week for the first time after being dropped for suffering a loss of form six weeks ago. He celebrated by scoring his first goal of the season, but the Latics will need all the experience they can get against seventh-placed Stoke who are having a good season so far.

Out-of-favour defender Chris Lightfoot, who recently spent a month on loan at Oldham, is apparently interesting Carlisle United.
Thirty year-old Lightfoot is surplus to requirements at Crewe which initially prompted his loan spell at Boundary Park, but after making three league appearances for the Latics Andy Ritchie decided not to take him in on a permanent basis. The former Wigan and Chester man is now attracting interest from Brunton Park as Cumbrian's boss Ian Atkins looks to lift his club from the foot of the Third Division. Crewe look likely to offer him the chance of another loan move as the player continues to search for a permanent deal.

Teamtalk Stoke

City's new goalkeeping recruit Birkir Kristinsson has suffered a blow after he was carried off in yesterday's reserve game at Blackpool. Kristinsson came out to claim a cross when he picked up an ankle injury and is now in the treatment room battling to be fit. He had to be replaced in goal by defender Clive Clarke. Stoke will be hoping Kristinsson makes the bench for Saturday's home clash with Oldham as back-up for Carl Muggleton. Potters physio Stefan Stefansson said: "We will be keeping him on the treatment table between now and Saturday's game and he should be OK with a bit of luck." City haven't had the best of luck with loan players they have signed so far this season. Forward Marvin Robinson broke his leg in the home clash with Rotherham United while defender Frode Kippe has returned to Liverpool after being ruled out through injury. The Potters ran out 2-1 winners at Blackpool and the game was a chance for some of the fringe players to get a run-out 

Stoke Sentinel

Stoke striker Paul Connor is joining Cambridge on a month's loan and Chris Iwelumo could also be on his way out of the Britannia Stadium. Connor opted for Cambridge ahead of Hartlepool and will make his debut at Wigan on Saturday, while York and Kidderminster are both interested in taking Iwelumo on loan. Stoke are actively trying to farm out several players on loan so the likes of Connor, Iwelumo, Matt Bullock, Ashley Wooliscroft and Steve Taaffe can gain experience in first-team football. Goalkeeper Birkir Kristinsson is hopeful of making the bench on Saturday despite becoming the latest victim of Stoke's injury curse to loan players. The curse struck for a third time when Kristinsson went over on his ankle during yesterday's reserve game at Blackpool to leave him limping in the recent footsteps of fellow loanees Marvin Robinson and Frode Kippe. 

But physio Stefan Stefansson reported today: "We will keep him on the treatment table between now and Saturday's game with Oldham and he should be all right with a bit of luck because it doesn't look too serious."
The Icelandic international, who had earlier saved a penalty during yesterday's 2-1 win at Blackpool, fell awkwardly claiming a 53rd-minute cross on his Stoke debut and was replaced in goal by Clive Clarke as there was no substitute 'keeper on the bench. Crowe volleyed City's first from an angle to make it 1-0 on 69 minutes and then, after Mike Newell had equalised, Crowe won the game in the 84th minute when he chested down the goalkeeper's punched clearance and volleyed back over his head. Meanwhile, Stoke are still awaiting confirmation James O'Connor and Brynjar Gunnarsson face one-match bans for reaching five bookings and Wayne Thomas a three-game ban after being sent off at Northampton on Tuesday. All three suspensions would kick in for the re-arranged home game with Brentford scheduled for November 22, unless Stoke require a replay against Nuneaton in the FA Cup.