Penney still in player search

Latics players celebrate Marrow’s strike

ATHLETIC manager Dave Penney will continue to juggle his budget in a bid to bring in new players to Boundary Park.

Penney explained that allowing Chris O’Grady to join neighbours Rochdale on loan until January enabled him to borrow Blackburn’s Nick Blackman.

And with Lewis Alessandra and Dale Stephens also leaving in loan deals, that could help free up extra cash for Penney.

Penney said: “I allowed Chris to join Rochdale because he wasn’t getting games here as he was our fifth-choice striker.

“We juggled the budget and by allowing Chris to go out meant we could bring Nick in. We have to chop and change, wheel and deal to move things around.”

Athletic currently have four players out on loan - O’Grady and Stephens (both at Rochdale), Alessandra (Chester) and keeper Greg Fleming (Dunfermline).

Blackman and Alex Marrow are both on loan at Boundary Park from Blackburn Rovers.

Penney has also signed Darren Byfield, Peter Gilbert and Przemyslaw Kazimierczak on short-term contracts.

Athletic are not too concerned over the injuries midfield pair Chris Taylor and Jon Worthington picked up against Swindon.

Worthington hurt his left ankle making a tackle while Taylor was brought off as a precaution with a tight hamstring.

The Athletic manager is looking forward to having no midweek matches which gives a full week to prepare for Saturday’s league game at newly-promoted Brentford.

He said: “It is nice to have a free week because we have been playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday since the start of the season.

“We will be looking to have a good week on the training ground and get ready for games next Saturday, Tuesday and Friday.”

Athletic player Rene Steer has suffered serious facial injuries following a training-ground accident.

The 19-year-old defender, signed in the summer on a free transfer from Arsenal, was caught by a flying elbow and has had surgery to repair damage to his teeth and a fractured jaw.