Search for new players never ends, insists boss

ATHLETIC boss Lee Johnson ran the rule over three triallists yesterday in what he described a ‘very important’ private friendly fixture against Morecambe.

The reserve game at the Chapel Road complex ended 4-2 to the visitors, but the manager and players gained plenty from the run-out. An unnamed right-back, a midfielder and a striker were handed the chance to impress.

Johnson is keen to bolster his squad despite an encouraging start to the Sky Bet League One campaign, and the knock-out competitions.

The Athletic boss said: “We’re always looking to trengthen the squad. At this level, you can’t be seen to be standing still.

“We’re always trying to upgrade the squad as best we can, taking into account what we’ve already got and, of course, our budget. The triallists we looked at yesterday all did well. You never know, we might be able to pull another rabbit out of the hat, so to speak.”

Following the weekend’s disappointing display when Athletic laboured to a 1-1 home draw against struggling Crawley Town, it was important that a number of senior players were given a run-out in a fixture which also saw Dominic Poleon score.

Johnson added: “We needed to get a number of players some game time. It was an important one for us – it definitely served a purpose despite the result.”