Injured Supple’s season finished

CHRIS TAYLOR is surrounded by his youngest fans after being named Athletic player of the year by the Boundary Blues junior supporters who held their end-of-season party and presentation evening at St Anne’s RL Club last night.

GOALKEEPER Shane Supple won’t play in Athletic’s two remaining games of the campaign in Coca-Cola League One.

The on-loan 21-year-old is ruled out of the matches against Southend and Walsall due to a damaged knee cartilage.

Supple has been diagnosed with a slight tear in his cartilage which is expected to heal naturally with rest.

The keeper, an Eire under-21 international, has returned to parent club Ipswich Town who want to oversee his recovery.

“Shane could play in an emergency but there is no point at this late stage of the season,” explained Joe Royle.

The Athletic manager is lucky to have Mark Crossley and Greg Fleming both available for the remaining games.

Supple, who is out of contract this summer, is highly rated by Royle, who would be interested is signing him permanently were he to be made available.

He said: “I see Shane as a natural successor to Shay Given for Eire.

“Though Shane is not the biggest keeper, he is still 6ft and he is quick and commanding.

“Mark Crossley has played at the highest level, including for Brian Clough, and he has been very impressed with Shane.”

Ian Westlake, who is on loan from Cheltenham, continues to cause concern as he is struggling to overcome the concussion he suffered against Peterborough when he received a bang to his head.

The midfield man resumed training late last week, but was forced to pull out of the Brighton match after complaining about blurred vision.

Athletic have sent Westlake for further tests to try to diagnose the cause of the trouble.