Practice makes perfect for Andy

BANG ON TARGET . . . Andy Liddell converts a penalty against Walsall, one of his 14 successful strikes from the spot for Athletic.

PENALTY king Andy Liddell has revealed it’s no accident that he holds a 100-per-cent record from the spot during his time at Boundary Park.

Liddell breathed life into Saturday’s game against Millwall when his kick brought Athletic back to 3-2 and, from there, they blitzed their way to a 4-3 victory.

It was his 14th successful penalty since joining Athletic from Sheffield United and also doubled his tally in the match.

Liddell used the familiar stop-start run-up which most ’keepers know all about – but stopping him scoring is another matter.

Liddell said: “Some people don’t bother, but I practice penalties a lot in training because it’s obviously important to get them right.

“I work on it and practice my routine, so it was good to see that one go in, especially because it helped us win the game.

“It was nice to get man of the match on Saturday, and I was pleased with my performance because I did a lot of hard work in pre-season and during the summer.

“There’s no denying we played well as a team to come back from 3-1 down, although we can do a lot better because we aren’t used to conceding three goals in one game.”

After tonight’s cup match at Rochdale, Athletic will be back in league action with a trip to Leeds United on Saturday.

Liddell (35) is a self-confessed Leeds fanatic, but he would love the chance to continue his bright start to the season with a goal at Elland Road.

He said: “There’s definitely no double-edged sword for me – I’m desperate to win against Leeds, Rochdale, Real Madrid or whoever.

“I grew up in Leeds and I’ve lived there all my life, but I’ll be celebrating like everyone else if we beat them like we did last season.

“I’ve never played a league match at Elland Road, so it would be special to get out there after missing the game last season because of injury.

“I went to watch and the lads were absolutely fantastic. We beat Leeds 3-1 and deserved to thrash them.

“Nobody wants Leeds to do well more than me, but I was at Wembley for the play-off final when they lost to Doncaster and it gave me a taste of what could happen if we can get there ourselves.

“As a Leeds fan it was upsetting, but to see the faces of the Doncaster lads said a lot – that’s what we all want for Oldham.”