Rhyl 0, Athletic 3: Danny stars in victory stroll

Chris Taylor (left) took up left back slot

ATHLETIC made a satisfactory start to their pre-season programme with a comfortable win against Welsh Premier League side Rhyl.

Manager John Sheridan used 21 players, including several unnamed trialists, but his team were always too strong as they came through with goals from Craig Davies, recent signing Danny Whitaker and Lewis Alessandra.

Athletic were bound to give most of their squad a run-out, but it was two positional decisions by Sheridan which caught the eye ahead of the new campaign.

Chris Taylor, usually a winger, was handed the problem left-back role, while Neal Eardley, usually a defender, was again deployed in the central midfield position in which he impressed at the end of last season.

Four new arrivals were on view and midfield man Whitaker, recruited from Port Vale, looked particularly sharp going forward.

Young Dale Stephens created the breakthrough with an astute pass and Athletic would have won by a vast margin if their finishing hadn’t been distinctly rusty.

They did everything but score within the first six minutes as Davies shot against the far post and was left holding his head when Chris O’Grady fired the rebound against the bar.

JP Kalala missed a chance moments later, although Athletic’s trialist ‘keeper was soon drawn into a save from Matthew Williams.

The woodwork intervened again when another trialist was denied from 25 yards – and then yet again, with O’Grady thwarted this time.

That was four efforts against post or crossbar, but Athletic broke through after 31 minutes as a Stephens through-ball was tucked home by Davies.

Sheridan made 10 changes at the break, leaving Kelvin Lomax as the only man to play 90 minutes, and sub Whitaker’s long-range drive forced ‘keeper Lee Kendall into action.

Whitaker also set up Matt Wolfenden, whose chance was smothered, before Alessandra was next to be kept out.

Athletic had total control, but Taylor and Mark Allott failed to double the advantage after Rhyl had been bamboozled during the build-up.

Whitaker eventually did the job in the 71st minute, crashing a left-foot piledriver just inside the post to further improve a good first impression.

Rhyl’s best opening came from a Stefan Stam error, but Chris Sharp – son of ex-Latics manager Graeme – could only hoist off target.

And Athletic, following positive work down the right by Deane Smalley, made it 3-0 with Alessandra’s 82nd-minute tap-in.

ATHLETIC FIRST HALF: trialist, Lomax, Dawson, Black, trialist, trialist, Stephens, Kalala, trialist, Davies, O’Grady.

SECOND HALF: Fleming, Lomax, Hazell, Stam, Taylor, Smalley, Eardley, Allott, Whitaker, Wolfenden, Alessandra.