Latics plead for Eardley release

NEAL EARDLEY: Hoping to get the all-clear to face Tranmere.

ATHLETIC have made a request to the Football Association of Wales to release Neal Eardley so he can play in Saturday’s Coca-Cola League One match at Tranmere Rovers.
With Lee Hughes, Chris Taylor and Stefan Stam all struggling with injury, and Sean Gregan a doubt due to illness, Athletic can ill afford to lose another player.

Eardley is due to report for international duty on Saturday afternoon in readiness for an under-21 international in Romania.

Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy explained: “We have appealed to the FAW to allow him to delay reporting until Saturday night.

“He is due at the Park Inn Hotel at Heathrow Airport on Saturday lunchtime and, after training that afternoon, the squad leaves for Romania on Sunday morning.”

Athletic are giving a trial to Irish defender Richie Byrne who was released by Aberdeen at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old full-back appeared for the reserves in last night’s 3-1 defeat at Derby County.

Byrne, who has had recent trials at Wigan Athletic, Paris St Germain and Dutch club NEC Nijmegen, has received international clearance to play in two reserve-team games for Athletic.

After kicking off his career at Shamrock Rovers, Byrne moved to Scottish club Dunfermline, for whom he played in the 2004 final of the Scottish Cup when they lost 3-1 to Celtic.

Most recently Byrne had three years at Aberdeen, for whom he played in the UEFA Cup.

Tom Eaves was Athletic’s goalscorer in the defeat against Derby last night at Alfreton.

Athletic were unlucky to lose after Dale Stephens twice struck the Derby crossbar.

“I was happy with the performance. We played some really good football against a Derby side which boasted £5m or £6m worth of talent,” explained reserve-team manager Lee Duxbury.

The Derby side included Stephen Bywater, Andy Todd, Claude Davis, Stephen Pearson and Steve Davies.