Morale high despite late blow

The Latics striker writes every week for Chron Sport
SHOCKED, stunned, devastated and deflated: the only words to describe how Athletic’s players were feeling at Gresty Road last Saturday after the final whistle against Crewe.

After the work we put into the match and the way we carried out the game plan, it was set to be the perfect away performance - until a lapse in concentration proved costly yet again, leaving an added-time equaliser and the loss of two crucial points.

The manager played a different formation in a bid to get the win we so desperately craved.

It was a very scrappy game on a bobbly surface with both teams looking nervy early on, but as the contest progressed I thought we had the lion’s share of possession and ground out the better openings while never really looking in danger defensively.

It was that man Gary Harkins who again provided a bit of individual brilliance, cutting in and finding the bottom corner of the net. Jeebsy, as we call him, has been a revelation; there is no doubting his ability with the ball at his feet.

On Monday morning we had our usual post-match analysis. Encouragingly, there was far more praise than criticism, which boosts the lads’ confidence going into the next game.

Tomorrow’s match against Crawley Town would be a great time to secure an overdue three points.

With games running out, we must approach every one of them with a positive mindset to build on last week’s decent display and climb away from the drop zone.