Guts and character urgently required

Athletic forward Rhys Turner tries

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Athletic 0, Rotherham 2

TIME to buckle up, because Athletic are heading for a crash landing in League Two if this latest voyage towards new depths is anything to go by.

On the darkest night of manager Lee Johnson’s reign to date, Rotherham cruised to victory.

Mark Bradley fired home after goalkeeper Mark Oxley could only palm out a Richard Smallwood shot towards him as Rotherham opened the scoring after 26 minutes. In the second half, Millers midfield man Lee Frecklington’s 25-yard drive made the game safe.

In between, amid a revival that was too brief, Athletic striker Charlie MacDonald raced through one-on-one but couldn’t beat goalkeeper Adam Collin. Soon after, the same player hit a left-footed shot over the bar with the goal gaping, after Gary Harkins’ powerful volley was pushed into his path.

That apart, it was all very uninspiring from an Athletic side shorn of Jonson Clarke-Harris, David Worrall, James Dayton, Genseric Kusunga and Anton Rodgers.

The Athletic team was also missing Jose Baxter, James Tarkowski and Adam Rooney — not one of whom has been adequately replaced. The current team has been cut and shut; an affront to the supporters who forked out money they could barely afford for a season ticket.

Little wonder Johnson afterwards made a call for more money to plug the gaps.

Last time the teams met in September, there were fireworks. Even reduced to 10 men, dynamic Athletic could easily have won at the New York Stadium.

Here? Even the presence in the dug-out of pantomime villain Steve Evans couldn’t make sparks.

Rotherham showed pace, poise and physical strength. Athletic possessed none of those qualities after the break.

Johnson finds himself working with players who have a safety-first mentality. Boundaries aren’t pushed for fear of making mistakes that will enrage a supporter base understandably fed up of the constant diet of dross. There is a loser’s mindset. Confidence seems shot and shells have well and truly been retreated into.

Nothing was sticking up front for Athletic, whose sparse resources on the night were illustrated by the presence of ex-Stockport striker Rhys Turner and on-loan Macclesfield midfielder John Paul Kissock. Both men were on full debut, while youth team winger Danny Byrnes was on the bench.

After Bradley lashed home, Athletic’s verve disappeared and Alex Revell almost doubled the lead with a header three minutes later.

Ben Pringle nearly laid a goal on for Agard and Oxley only just pushed out a James Tavernier free-kick for Rotherham, before MacDonald’s two major opportunities preceded the half-time whistle.

After that? Athletic barely had a sniff.

The final whistle was greeted by jeers from Athletic supporters and cheers from Millers fans, who had seen their side win an eighth game in 11.

Before the manager steps in front of cameras and microphones to conduct his appraisals in front of the waiting press at Boundary Park, the usual scheme of things is that jokes are exchanged, players privately slated and praised, coaches and their selections taken to task.

Last night, unusually, there was very little of any of that. There was quiet.

It is up to the manager and the players to turn things round. It needs guts and it needs character and it certainly won’t be easy, not this time.