Loan moves on hold

Lee Johnson

ATHLETIC may have to wait until the second month of the season before the squad is boosted by loan signings.

Manager Lee Johnson, who was today busy preparing his squad for tomorrow’s trip south ahead of the Colchester opener, says there is no imminent movement in terms of potential arrivals from the top flight.

Having been knocked back on one loan target, Johnson — who says his squad are “two or three” short, in an ideal world — suggested that movement could occur after the transfer window shuts on the evening of Monday, September 1.

“There isn’t anything happening (on loans) just yet,” he said. “But after the Premier League squads have gone in, then there could be a couple after that.”

Last term, by this point Athletic had snapped up one loan signing in Hull’s Mark Oxley. The goalkeeper is currently north of the border at Hibernian for six months.

The next loan player to arrive was Manchester City’s Albert Rusnak, brought in as a straight replacement for Jose Baxter when he made the deadline-day switch to Sheffield United.

But that move, and a later one for Ellis Plummer from the same club but for differing reasons, didn’t work out satisfactorily and have served to add caution to Johnson’s mindset when it comes to assessing youngsters from academies.

“It is difficult, as under-21s football is totally different to men’s football,” Johnson said in an interview published in the Chronicle this week. “It can take lads time to adjust.”

One young player who was a success last year was Mike Petrasso (19), who scored the winning goal on his debut and came close to netting what would have been a superb equalising goal in last season’s FA Cup third-round tie against Liverpool at Anfield.

Petrasso made 15 appearances in total until January. He then headed out a month later for a loan at Coventry, before featuring for parent club QPR on the final day of the regular season as a substitute.

DEAN Whitestone will be in charge of Athletic’s game at Colchester on Saturday.

The Northampton official refereed Athletic’s 1-1 draw away to Coventry last season.

ATHLETIC’S youth team lost 3-1 against Dutch representative side Brabant United in the penultimate game of their summer tour.

Max Heffron, who is on trial with the under-18s, scored a late consolation for Tony Philliskirk’s side who entered the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with VVV Venlo, when striker Lee Knight levelled late on.

One game remains, against Danish outfit Brondby on Saturday, before the squad fly home the following day.

BRITT Assombalonga, the Peterborough striker who scored in both his side’s fixtures against Athletic last season, has signed for Championship club Nottingham Forest in a deal reportedly worth £5million.

KIRK Millar has signed for his former club Linfield on a two-year deal.

The 22-year-old (pictured) links up with his former Athletic team-mate and current Blues manager Warren Feeney at the Irish League club.