Frustration for Latics

OUCH! Athletic striker Lee Hughes clutches his head after a colliding with an advertising hoarding.

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ATHLETIC’S failure to defeat 10-man Brighton was an opportunity missed as they attempt to make up ground on the Coca-Cola League One front-runners.

Come the end of the campaign, Athletic may live to regret such results.

What makes it even more frustrating, and annoying, is that the aberrations on home soil have invariably been against teams in the bottom-half of the table.

The likes of Huddersfield, Yeovil and Brighton have all made their mark at Boundary Park, and but for those slip ups, John Sheridan’s side would today be occupying top spot.

Bizarrely high-flyers Millwall, MK Dons and Scunthorpe have all been vanquished, which must make Saturday’s result even more perplexing for the Athletic chief.

But that inconsistency will clearly need to be addressed if they are to maintain their push for promotion. Turning draws into wins could be the difference between finishing in the top six and missing out altogether.

Athletic never had a better chance of beating Brighton.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the opening minutes of the second half when Adam Virgo was sent off, but Athletic were unable to make their numerical advantage count.

Athletic lacked the guile required to conjure a match-winning goal — to put it bluntly they were clueless at times — as Brighton defended heroically.

They fully deserved the point which kept them out of the relegation zone and stretched their unbeaten sequence at Boundary Park to four.

Brighton set their stall out to hold on to what they had got after Virgo’s dismissal.

And as we have seen on umpteen occasions before, bigger and better teams than Athletic have struggled against sides who have had players dismissed.

Despite the disappointing result it was a captivating contest in which Brighton didn’t look like a side fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the table.

It was one of those days when, if marks were awarded, Athletic’s players would have invariably have been given sixes.

Only Chris Taylor, with his foraging raids down the left, caused any degree of discomfort to Brighton.

Sheridan made three changes from the win against Walsall as Reuben Hazell returned after a one-match ban to replace Stefan Stam, Danny Whitaker was restored alongside Mark Allott in the centre of midfield at the expense of Kevin Maher while Chris O’Grady was recalled for the injured Darren Byfield.

Athletic made an early breakthrough when Taylor won a penalty. He went sprawling under Virgo’s challenge as he cut in from the left flank.

It caused ructions as Virgo squared up to Taylor, claiming the Athletic player had dived. In the ensuing melee referee David Foster brandished yellow cards to Virgo and Lee Hughes.

By the time order had been restored a couple of minutes had elapsed before Andy Liddell slotted home his seventh goal of the campaign and fourth from the spot.

Hughes might have doubled the advantage almost immediately. He ran on to a ball over the defence and forced ’keeper Michel Kuipers to make a decent save low to his right.

Brighton were back on level terms just before the midway point of the first half.

Glenn Murray raced on to a through ball from Steve Thomson, breezed past Sean Gregan and shot into the roof of the net from just inside the penalty area for his 11th goal of the season.

Athletic were unfortunate not to regain the lead before the break as Virgo, who was living a dangerous existence, was made a clumsy challenge on O’Grady.

Taylor then cut in and unleashed a terrific shot which Kuipers did well to turn away for a corner.

Yet Brighton might also have added a second goal when Thomson delivered another delightful through ball to release Nicky Forster, who was denied by a great block by ’keeper Mark Crossley.

Virgo’s luck finally ran out in the 48th minute when he was given a second caution for clattering into O’Grady.

And it could conceivably have been nine men not long after when ’keeper Kuipers sent Hughes flying into the advertising hoardings after a reckless challenge which went unpunished.

But Athletic were unable to make their numerical advantage pay as Forster was twice denied by vital blocks by Hazell, while Andy Whing’s goalbound header was kicked off the line by Whitaker.

Athletic only threatened sporadically and they had another massive let off nine minutes from time.

Forster flew past Gregan and fired a low ball across the face of goal which substitute Stuart Fleetwood failed to get a touch from no more than two yards.




Sheridan bemoans lack of quality



IT was a doubly frustrating afternoon for manager John Sheridan, who was unable to direct operations from the technical area due to a touchline ban.



Sheridan, suspended for two matches, admitted it was torture as he spent the game at the top of the tunnel steps, relaying messages by mobile telephone to No. 2 Tommy Wright.

He said: “It was a frustrating afternoon, and I was nearly down on the sidelines again shouting.

“One or two of the lads joke about my shouting, but I will never stop because if I do they will fall asleep!”

Sheridan viewed it as a wasted chance, especially after Brighton had Adam Virgo sent off early in the second half.

He said: “The game was there to be won, especially after we were 1-0 ahead and Brighton went down to 10 men.

“We worked hard and there was a lot of effort from the lads. They tried their best, but there was not a lot of quality in our performance.

“We played too many long and high balls. We took the wrong options at the wrong times. Our decision making was poor which played into their hands.

“Other than Chris Taylor, we didn’t create many attempts at goal. We should have made a lot more openings, especially in the second half against 10 men.

“They could have nicked it at the end through poor defending on our part, but we gained a point.

“We’ve been on a decent run with 10 points from a possible 12, but we are disappointed not to get the win we wanted here.

“When we have opportunities to push on and get closer to the teams at the top, we cannot afford to let these sort of chances slip by because you don’t get too many of them.”

Sheridan was pleased with the performance of Chris O’Grady on his return after a loan spell at Bury, but added there is plenty of scope for improvement from the frontman.

He said: “While Chris worked hard, strikers are judged on the number of attempts they have on goal, and I don’t think he had any.

“The lad works his socks off and is very honest. I am not trying to put him down but, at the end of the day, it is about scoring goals.”