Richie keen to make an impact

RICHIE BYRNE . . . versatile in defence.

RICHIE BYRNE is poised to get his career back on track after a frustrating spell out of the game.

Athletic’s most recent signing was freed by Aberdeen in April and went on his travels before agreeing a short-term deal at Boundary Park.

He was handed a debut at Hartlepool on Saturday after Sean Gregan’s second-half red card opened up a place in defence.

Byrne (26) has every chance of staying in the team while Gregan serves a three-match ban.

He said: “It’s nice to be playing football again and I’d be delighted if the manager picked me to start on Saturday.

“I’m here for a month at the moment and nothing has been said about extending it yet, but you can see the team are going places.

“I had a difficult time with injuries at Aberdeen, but my fitness is getting better and hopefully those problems are in the past.

“I would love to get a chance here, whether it’s at left-back or in the middle. I’m happy in either position, although it’s nice to get forward when you play left-back.”

During the summer, Byrne trained with St Patrick’s Athletic in his native Ireland before heading for a trial with Dutch club NEC Nijmegen.

He has two weeks left on his initial deal with Athletic, which will run out before Gregan is back from suspension.

Byrne and Stefan Stam are competing for one place, but the new recruit made a good impression during his weekend cameo.

And he doesn’t lack experience after playing for Shamrock Rovers and Dunfermline – with whom he reached the Scottish Cup final – prior to three years at Aberdeen.

Byrne also played for the Republic of Ireland ‘B’ team last season, scoring in a 1-1 draw against Scotland.




WATCH out for Millwall, who lost a seven-goal thriller against Athletic on the first day of the season.



Since going down at Boundary Park – where they led 3-1 with 16 minutes to go – the Lions have stayed unbeaten with a run of four wins and two draws, conceding just two goals along the way.

They are up to fourth in the table, and Athletic’s victory now looks even better than it seemed at the time.




Latics players down the years



THE latest Athletic history book – “The Who’s Who of Oldham Athletic” – is now available.



Author Garth Dykes has profiled every player to appear in a match for the Boundary Park club, starting when they joined the Football League 101 years ago and finishing at the end of last season.

The Who’s Who also has a comprehensive records section and a biography of every manager.

It is published by Breedon Books and priced at £19.99.

Copies are available from the Oldham Evening Chronicle offices in Union Street, Oldham, and other outlets.