Put superb FA Cup show on repeat, says Corney

Latics chairman Simon Corney: wants the team to play well every week

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SIMON Corney has challenged Athletic to maintain their high levels from now until the end of the season.

The stylish and comprehensive FA Cup win over a Doncaster team high in confidence proved to the chairman that Paul Dickov’s team can flourish against its npower League One opponents.

The task now is to keep up a level of consistency, to climb higher than their current 16th place.

“I know we are capable of playing like that — and that is what my rants over the past few months have been about,” said Corney, who hasn’t been shy in attacking the team’s under-performance in the Chronicl.

“Part of me says we should have 12 points more and be sitting near the play-offs. The manager and the players feel the same. The players showed their quality and now have to back it up, week-in, week-out.

“We showed we can absolutely destroy teams. We took Doncaster apart.”

Athletic’s knockout win earned a tie at the home of Championship club Nottingham Forest early next year. And the chairman took the opportunity to highlight the performances of a few select performers who helped the club gain £27,000 in prize money and a date at the City Ground potentially worth an awful lot more than that in gate receipts alone.

“Doncaster’s goal came from a Reece Wabara slip, who made up for it with a good header to equalise,” Corney added.

“Connor Brown continues to look a great prospect. He is making great progress. And when Dean Furman gets forward, we look a completely different team. James Wesolowski also helps him out by holding the middle.

“We showed what we are capable of. Against a team with a far bigger budget than us, we were by far the better side and we need to replicate that performance more often.”