No room to relax for Latics

Mark Oxley - gone back to parent club Hull City

ATHLETIC manager Lee Johnson believes that only injuries can prevent the club from achieving their target of safety in Sky Bet League One this season.

The emergency loan window shut yesterday with no new players coming in.

However, defender Glenn Belezika has been allowed to leave Boundary Park (see story below) and goalkeeper Mark Oxley has returned to parent club Hull City after Tigers first-team regular Allan McGregor picked up an injury against West Ham on Wednesday night.

A new forward had been targeted in the week — striker Rhys Turner is currently out injured with a pulled hamstring — but the move didn’t come off.

Johnson says his current crop are good enough to stave off relegation once again.

But he is also mindful of the fact there is no room to relax, with teams constantly swapping positions towards the foot of the table.

Athletic were a solitary point clear of fourth-bottom Scunthorpe at this stage 12 months ago, but Hartlepool, Bury and Portsmouth were all realistically resigned to their relegation fate.

This time, Notts County appeared condemned only a couple of weeks ago after a run of eight losses in 10 fixtures.

Then came successive wins for the Magpies and now, a buffer of only six points separates Athletic from Stevenage at the foot of the table.

“The division is tougher this year, but we are in a slightly better position than we were then,” Johnson said.

“There is a lot of football to be played and a lot of twists and turns to come. Look at Notts County, who appeared to be dead and buried. They are right back in with a shout.

“And it was a big win for Coventry (against Stevenage on Wednesday), who were in danger of being sucked in.

“A lot has to happen yet and the biggest thing for me is that our key players — and indeed all of our squad — stay fit. I am confident we can get the results required if that happens. But I’m frightened to death of losing key players.

“Ideally I would have liked to bring in a forward-type player.

“Maybe we are a bit light in that region, but if we don’t get any injuries, we will be fine.”

Ahead of tomorrow’s test against Brentford, Johnson says that Athletic are firmly cast as underdogs against a club gunning for automatic promotion.

While he expects James Tarkowski to try to help plot Athletic’s downfall with some first-hand information on strengths and weaknesses, he hopes that home fans will direct some good-natured banter the way of the former favourite if he is selected.

“He’s a good kid and I wish him the best,” said Johnson. “I’m sure he will get applause at the beginning and at the end.

“But if he’s shanking it out of play or going on one of his ‘mazies’ and kicking it too far, we want people to heckle.

“He will naturally be giving them advice on how to beat us and you would expect that.

“But we are in a good place and we have to worry about ourselves at the moment.

“I am sure Boundary Park will be rocking, because there is no doubt we are the underdog in this game and we can use that siege mentality.”

Athletic (probable, 4-1-4-1): Rachubka; Brown, Lockwood, Wilson, Grounds; Smith (c); Worrall, Wesolowski, Wesolowski, Harkins; Clarke-Harris. Subs not used: Gafaiti, Dunfield, MacDonald, Winchester, Dayton, Millar.

ATHLETIC are asking for fans to transfer to the Verlin Stand at the Rochdale Road end of the ground for tomorrow’s Brentford game, as part of the ongoing trial.

The Zen Office Chaddy End is not shut, but alcohol will not be served.