Penney boosts striker options

JONATHAN DOUGLAS (left) has been a huge hit since his move from Leeds.

ATHLETIC will have a new strike option tomorrow against Swindon Town following the loan capture of Nick Blackman.

The 19-year-old, who has been borrowed from Barclays Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, has been named in the squad for the home league match.

Blackman, who stands at 6ft 2in, is a player Athletic manager Dave Penney has been aware of for some time.

“I wanted a big centre forward and Nick is a different type of player to the ones we have here,” he explained.

Blackman spent time at the academies of Manchester United, Bury and Preston before being given his first professional contract by Macclesfield Town in March 2007.

He made 12 appearances for the Silkmen before Paul Ince took him to Blackburn on trial and new Rovers manager Sam Allardyce handed him a two-and-a-half year contract this January.

Blackman had a loan spell at Championship club Blackpool, for whom he scored on his full debut at Sheffield United.

He is likely to be on the bench tomorrow, replacing Lewis Alessandra who has joined Chester on loan.

Penney says it is important that Alessandra and Dale Stephens, who is on loan at Rochdale, are getting regular football at this stage of their careers.

Athletic left-sided defender Liam Dawson, a first-year professional, has had a proposed loan move to UniBond League premier division side Nantwich Town postponed after suffering a broken hand in Wednesday’s private friendly at Crewe.

Penney will wait until tomorrow before finalising his team to play Swindon as a couple of players have niggling injuries. Danny Whitaker, who missed the Millwall match through illness, is expected to return.

ATHLETIC (probable): Brill, Marrow, Hazell, Gregan, Gilbert, Holdsworth, Worthington, Furman, Taylor, Abbott, Parker. Subs (from): Whitaker, Blackman, O’Grady, Lomax, Lee, Rowney, Byfield, Kazimierczak, Rowney.

SWINDON (probable): Lucas, Amankwaah, Morrison, Greer, Lecsinel, Timlin, Douglas, McGovern, McNamee, Obadeyi, Paynter.

o IPSWICH Town keeper Shane Supple, who had a loan spell with Athletic late last season, has sensationally quit football at the age of 22 having “fallen out of love with the game.”

o FORMER Athletic defender Neal Trotman has joined Southampton on a season-long loan from Preston North End.