Debut boy’s dazzler in vain

Photo: Pictures by ALAN HOWARTH

INSTANT IMPACT: Daniel Johnson (centre) celebrates his debut goal with his new team-mates.

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

Athletic 1, Crawley 1

Here’s the problem for Athletic: no goals from Jonathan Forte makes gaining points difficult.

With the former Southampton man out of touch again, Lee Johnson's men only managed a draw against a depleted Crawley side. That's not good enough for a club with play-off ambitions.

This was a third blank in a row from Forte – currently playing in a central striker role, possibly to his detriment – in a brilliant season that has brought him 11 goals.

The other forwards aren't really filling the void Forte's dip has left. Danny Philliskirk grafted typically hard and tried in vain to create a perfect shooting opportunity. Jabo Ibehre spent most of his time running backwards to fetch over-hit crosses, and substitute Dominic Poleon was shoved wide to the left in the last 12 minutes.

With Athletic unable or unwilling to get Forte on the front foot running at full tilt at isolated defenders, the main attacking weapon has been blunted.

A change of system to get him back on to that left wing could be one partial solution to Forte and Athletic's malaise.

In this disjointed performance, the ball was sent long too early in the first half. After the break, though totally controlling the game, positions of promise were wasted through hesitancy and the lack of a cutting edge. Athletic weren't good enough to move the bus Crawley parked in front of their goal.

This was not an ambitious performance from John Gregory's side, but Athletic's players have only themselves to blame for what went wrong.

It wasn't all mediocre though. on his debut, Aston Villa loanee Daniel Johnson lit up the game with a superb solo goal. The 22-year-old had already given notice of his intentions to race at defenders in the sixth minute. Two minutes later, he struck.

Flicking the ball behind his right foot and dropping his shoulder, Johnson jet-heeled away from two defenders, sent a postcard from his holidays to a third and then shaped his body around a sweet, low left-footed finish under goalkeeperJamie Ashdown.

Then came the Crawley equaliser. Gwion Edwards' hammer-shot, which beat Athletic's goalkeeper from 25 yards out, was sublime.

With the ineffective Forte off at half-time for Michael Tidser, Athletic's task was to pick a way through a massed defence in a second half played out almost exclusively in Crawley territory.

It should really have been three points and, come the business end of the season next year, Athletic may regret that it wasn't.