Wellens is playing it cool

Athletic manager Richie Wellens is playing it cool ahead of tomorrow's crunch final-day clash at Northampton.

The visitors to the Sixfields Stadium, who will be roared on by their hordes of travelling fans, need a win to secure survival.

A draw or even a defeat might still see Athletic stay up as they are currently a point clear of their only other drop rivals Rochdale (who host Charlton), so a nail-biting afternoon is in prospect.

Wellens was no stranger to final-day dramas during his playing days, and maybe those experiences - both good and bad - would explain why he appears rather laid-back ahead of tomorrow's trip south.

“When you’re a player you can burn off energy, run about and do something about it," said Wellens.

“When you’re a manager, you’ve got to trust your players to do what you’ve worked on during the week.

“It’s different, but right now I’m just trying to stay relaxed.

“In fact I’m not trying to do that, I’m quite relaxed about it all.

“I don’t want my players to be seeing someone who’s nervous or uptight. That wouldn’t help them.

“As long as I know in my mind that all the preparation is right, making sure we all play at full pelt to help exploit Northampton’s weaknesses, I can be fine about what I’ve done.

“I’ve just got to make sure the players react to the situation right now, and get a positive result we need.”

Despite the fact that Athletic could still drop down into the fourth tier for the first time in decades tomorrow, there have been high points for Wellens in what has been his maiden campaign as a manager.

The former Leicester and Doncaster midfielder has impressed overall, dragging an Athletic side who looked doomed in September to the brink of a superb survival.

“There’s been a number of highlights this season really," said Wellens.

"The first half at Blackburn was brilliant.

“To go to a club that’s got Championship and even Premier League players in their team and really be dominant was a clear highlight.

“Going to Portsmouth and playing like we did was good, and the last-minute winner at home against Blackburn.

“I think that was the last time they lost until recently. After that they didn’t lose for 30-odd games.

“In the first two months after I took charge, the style of football we played was really entertaining and attacking, and there was a lot of goals in there.

“Those early games were all big highlights, but you can’t keep playing like that on the pitch we’ve got, so you have to try and adapt.

“There have been lots of highlights, but when you’re at a club like this it’s always going to be a roller-coaster.”

Athletic will be boosted by the return of full-back Wilfried Moimbe tomorrow, now that he has served out his three-match suspension.

Fellow defender Cameron Dummigan, who had previously been ruled out for the season through injury, might be fit enough to secure a place among the substitutes.