Carry on the good work - Taylor

Chris Taylor: still hopeful of success for his former club

FORMER Athletic star Chris Taylor has backed Paul Dickov to oversee a successful 2013 at Boundary Park.

Springhead’s wing wizard Taylor made a free transfer to Championship outfit Millwall with a heavy heart after seven years with his home-town club.

The 25 year old is still in touch with most of his former teammates - and believes they are going in the right direction.

He said: “Paul Dickov doesn’t have a lot of money to spend and yet they are only a couple of wins away from pushing into the top 12 in the table.

“He is doing the best with the budget at his disposal and despite a few indifferent results here and there, I think there is plenty to be encouraged by.

“I have also heard a lot of very positive things about his signings, especially Jose Baxter — people have been raving about his impact at the club.

“I know it won’t be easy but if Latics can hold on to Baxter and people like Reece Wabara it will give everyone at Boundary Park a huge lift going into the New Year fixtures.

Though he too expect Matt Derbyshire not to return to Oldham, he added: “It’s important they keep the other players, despite the competition from rival clubs. There is no reason why Latics can’t kick on in that top half and have a good second half of the season. I certainly hope so. The spirit is excellent and that will be a big help in the remaining fixtures."