Teenage kicks

TIMELY TONIC: Deane Smalley smashes home Athletic’s equaliser just before half-time.

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Dream debut for Brooke as Joe bids a fond farewell

Walsall 1, Oldham 2

AT least Joe Royle can say he went out in a blaze of glory if this turns out to be his last game as a manager.

The win, that has proved so elusive for 60-year-old Royle following his return to Boundary Park, was finally secured at the ninth attempt at Walsall.

The storyline could not have been more dramatic.

Witnessed by new manager Dave Penney, who was watching in the stands, Athletic achieved their first win in 12 matches in Coca -Cola League One the hard way after they fell behind inside 30 seconds.

But they displayed the Yorkshire grit new manager Penney will demand as they bounced back in style.

Deane Smalley equalised on the stroke of half-time and then, to complete the recovery, teenage substitute Ryan Brooke scored the winner with his first touch in league football.

It was the stuff of dreams for Brooke. The 17-year-old striker was given his big break by Royle, who himself forced his way into Everton’s first team at the tender age of 16.

After so many disappointments of the previous two-and-a-bit months, it was great way to finish the campaign.

Not that the 755 Athletic fans were going to have anything but some fun as they produced an eye-catching fancy-dress parade in the visitors’ section. They even eclipsed Southend, who the previous week had brightened a dour end-of-season game at Boundary Park with their colourful costumes.

And when Troy Deeney headed the Saddlers ahead inside the first minute, it simply strengthened their resolve as they chanted that Athletic had messed up again, but not in such polite terms.

Athletic had a setback before the kick off when Daniel Jones sustained a suspected broken metatarsal after landing awkwardly. Paul Black was summoned from the bench.

And it went from bad to worse as Alex Nicholls burst through on the right and rounded ’keeper Greg Fleming close to the by-line. He then fired over a cross for Deeney to head home his 12th goal of the season and join the injury victim Michael Ricketts as Walsall’s joint leading scorer.

The dangerous Deeney could have completed a hat-trick in little over half an hour as he watched a long-range drive crash against the crossbar and he snatched at another effort.

Athletic gradually began to inch their way into what up to then had been a one-sided contest, with Kevin Maher, Smalley and Danny Whitaker all having chances.

The equaliser eventually arrived a minute before half-time when neat build up play ended in Kieran Lee firing over a low cross from the right which Smalley swept home.

Athletic gained in confidence and they controlled most of the second half.

There were a couple of escapes, with Fleming pulling off a super stop to deny Richard Taundry’s thunderbolt, while he also pushed away a daisy cutter from Nicholls.

Smalley and Ian Westlake both went close before the pivotal moment in 71st minute.

Brooke replaced Whitaker and, within three minutes, he had made his mark, steering a right-wing cross from Smalley beyond ’keeper Clayton Ince. It was a cool-as-you-like finish.

The teenager grew in confidence and stature after the goal and could quite conceivably have scored again.

Substitute Matty Wolfenden crossed from the right and Brooke got in front of his marker at the near post but could only shoot straight at Ince.

He then cut in menacingly from the left and his goalbound shot was shovelled away by the ’keeper. From the follow up, Brooke was again in the right place but this time he could only headed straight at Ince.

Athletic should have been awarded a penalty in stoppage time when Westlake was clearly tripped by substitute Paul Boertin, but referee Colin Webster was unmoved.

Fortunately, with victory assured, it did not matter.


MATCHWINNER Ryan Brooke has a lasting reminder of his first goal in league football.
Saddlers officials gave Athletic the matchball, which was signed by all the players and handed on to 17-year-old Brooke as a keepsake.


Performance summed us up — Royle

JOE ROYLE believes new Athletic manager Dave Penney was given an accurate insight into his new team after Saturday’s 2-1 win at Walsall.

Royle bowed out of his nine-match stint as caretaker boss with his first victory after Athletic recovered from a terrible start in which they conceded a goal inside 30 seconds.

He said: “Dave Penney has seen at close quarters what he has to work with, he knows what he needs, he has had my opinions and now he will have his own opinions.

“It is also good that Dave saw both sides of us — the kamikaze defending which has afflicted us at times since I have been here and also that we can play and pass the ball.

“Although this was my first win in nine games, we could have won five or six as we’ve been in every match. Nobody has taken us apart, it’s all been about fine lines.

“I saw Dave after the game and he had a nice smile on his face. He knows he has taken over a decent unit.”

Royle admitted it was an emotional and dramatic final game for him in which a young centre forward gave him the win he had been waiting for.

He said: “The fairytale is a young kid (Ryan Brooke) making his debut and scoring with his first touch of the ball.

“He also had three other attempts at goal which tells you a lot about him. He is the most natural finisher on the books.

“He will remember that goal for the rest of his life just as I remembered my first goal. The lads were pulling his leg about throwing his shirt to the fans, but I think he will wear it for a week.

“He is a big bambi in that he is weak and gangly, but put the ball in front of him with the goal at the other end and he knows what he is doing. Hopefully he is going to be a big player for Oldham.”

Brooke, who had scored 24 goals for the youth team, was delighted with his league debut, declaring: “It was a great feeling to score, especially as the goal won us the game.

“I didn’t think I would have got on. When Daniel Jones went off injured before kick off I thought that would count as one of the substitutions and when Matty Wolfenden went on I believed my chance had gone.

“I was doing what I thought was a cool down when the gaffer called me over and told me I was going on.

“I was excited rather than being nervous and just wanted to get on and show what I could do.”

A fan of Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, Brooke said Royle, himself a renowned centre-forward, had offered him advice on the training ground by telling him when and where to make runs into the penalty area.