Top-flight test

Latics fix Sunderland showdown

ATHLETIC have secured a glamour pre-season friendly against Barclays Premier League outfit Sunderland.

The Black Cats are to visit Boundary Park on Saturday, July 25 as Athletic’s new-look team is put to the test against top-flight opposition.

Sunderland will have a new manager at the helm with former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini and Wigan’s Steve Bruce the favourites to succeed Ricky Sbragia, who stood down at the end of the season.

Bruce has emerged as the favourite to land the job, though Mancini has been quoted as saying he had been offered the chance to take over at the Stadium of Light.

Athletic have also arranged another friendly seven days later when Coca-Cola Championship side Blackpool visit Boundary Park.

The match, on Saturday, August 1, is likely to be the final dress rehearsal before the season kicks off the following weekend.

Athletic have now finalised five pre-season friendlies. The other three are away to Hyde United (July 13), Halifax Town (July 16) and Macclesfield Town (July 21).

Athletic were heartened by a last-minute surge in sales of discounted season tickets.

The deadline was extended until Saturday lunchtime after sales picked up towards the original midweek cut-off point.

Athletic have yet to finalise exactly how many season tickets have been sold.

Chief executive Alan Hardy admitted they are slightly down on last season’s figure of almost 3,200.

But the late rush dramatically altered the situation after initial sales were disappointing.

Athletic are highly unlikely to reach their 4,500 target before the start of the season which would trigger the cash-back initiative when each season-ticket holder would be given £70.