Eardley plays waiting game

PLENTY to shout about: Athletic’s Lewis Alessandra scored a hat-trick against Scunthorpe the last time the teams met.

ATHLETIC manager John Sheridan has given a broad hint that he will send out an unchanged team for tonight’s top-of-the-table clash at Scunthorpe United (7.30).

That means Wales international Neal Eardley, who is free to play after serving a one-match ban on Saturday, having to settle for a place on the bench at best.

“If we keep playing as we did against Stockport, when we were excellent, it will make it hard to leave anyone out of the side,” admitted Sheridan.

The Athletic manager added, however, that he is looking closely at a number of his players who don’t play as well away from Boundary Park saying he is not frightened to make changes if they are needed.

Sheridan expects a blacklash from Scunthorpe, who were beaten 3-0 by Athletic in October when youngster Lewis Alessandra scored his first senior hat-trick.

“That was our best performance of the season and we could have scored six or seven goals that night,” he remarked.

Sheridan added that his side will be going out with a positive attitude in an effort to win the game.

He said: “It is important we don’t lose the game because, if we do, Scunthorpe go above us in the table.

“We need to win games, though, because you can get a good draw at Scunthorpe and find other teams around you win and gain two points on you.

“We will be going out to be positive and trying to win the game.”



ATHLETIC (probable): Fleming, Lomax, Hazell, Gregan, Golbourne, Smalley, Allott, Whitaker, Taylor, Hughes, Windass. Subs (from) Eardley, Stam, Maher, Davies, Liddell, Lee, Alessandra, Bell.

Scunthorpe are likely to field the same side which defeated Leyton Orient 2-1 on Saturday.

Left-back Marcus Williams, who broke a bone in his foot last week, was replaced by Andrew Wright whose midfield place was taken by Grant McCann.


SCUNTHORPE (probable): Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Pearce, Wright, Thompson, McCann, Sparrow, Woolford, Hooper, Hayes. Subs: Morris, Togwell, Hurst, Slocombe, Lea.

Athletic have been allocated 1,678 tickets for tonight’s game and it is pay on the turnstiles.