Latics’ horror show

Photo: Pictures: DARREN ROBINSON

STUNNED: Athletic defender Sean Gregan can’t quite believe what’s going on.

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Athletic 0, Hartlepool 3

ON the evidence of their dire display against Hartlepool United, Athletic could be in for a long, hard winter in Coca-Cola League One.

Manager Dave Penney must halt the slide by addressing the glaring deficiencies which have materialised over the last week.

The statistics do not make for pleasant reading as Athletic have won only one of their first eight games of the season in league and cup.

Athletic’s failure to see off Hartlepool broke the 1920 club record of 10 home league games without a win.

Their last victory at Boundary Park came on February 14, a sorry sequence of results.

Things have gone badly awry in such a short space of time, with confidence shot to smithereens.

Athletic produced a decent display at Brentford a week last Saturday and days later performed well in the opening half against Accrington Stanley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy when Penney’s new-look team showed signs of promise.

Yet it all went pear-shaped against Stanley in the second half, and Athletic continued where they left off in midweek with a horror show against Hartlepool.

It was one of their worst home performances for many years.

The players performed like a bunch of strangers and the disgruntlement of the Athletic fans was also noticeable — and it is only early September.

The home following was less than 4,000 — that is a concern — and how many of those fans will return against Carlisle on Saturday week in the current climate?

Jon Worthington returned in place of Dean Furman as Penney looked for more bite in the centre of midfield while Keigan Parker, back after illness, was preferred up front to Nick Blackman.

There was a debut for new-signing Joe Colbeck, but it proved a baptism of fire for the 22-year-old winger who must be wondering what he has let himself in for.

It might have been an altogether different outcome had Parker not pulled a shot disappointingly wide after bursting through on goal. That moment was symptomatic of the lack of confidence in the team.

Hartlepool, bizarrely unbeaten on their travels yet without a win at home, took the lead midway through the opening period through a terrific finish by highly-rated young striker James Brown, who found the net with a shot from outside the penalty area.

Athletic still had their moments. Pawel Abbott should have equalised, only to also drag his shot wide when he would surely have hit the target a couple of weeks ago.

These were rare moments of promise in an awful display. Athletic were ragged and had an uncanny habit of seeing their passes find somebody in a bright orange shirt.

Hartlepool were the far more dangerous and purposeful side and it was no surprise when they doubled their lead.

They could have made it 2-0, but Andy Monkhouse’s goalbound header was cleared off the line by Alan Sheehan.

However, Monkhouse provided the assist for the second goal in the 37th minute. His far-post cross from the left was headed home by Leon McSweeney, although keeper Dean Brill will be disappointed as he could only palm the effort into the roof of the net.

Some Athletic fans called it quits and headed for home at half-time.

And, to be brutally honest, they were the lucky ones as things did not improve in the second period.

Hartlepool piled on the misery when Denis Behan added a third goal on the hour with a free kick from 30 yards which arrowed into the top corner.

It was some finish and he so nearly repeated it from an almost identical position, but this time his strike flashed narrowly wide.

Athletic came agonisingly close to finding the net late on through a marvellous piece of skill from Sheehan, who cut in from the left and curled a shot with his weaker right foot towards the top corner.

But Hartlepool ’keeper Scott Flinders managed to get a fingertip on the effort to deflect on to an upright.



MANAGER Dave Penney believes he has pinpointed one of the most fundamental problems with his new-look Athletic team.

Penney admitted losing 3-0 at home to Hartlepool was an “awful result”, which left Athletic in the lower reaches of Coca-Cola League One.

He said: “You sense that when things go against us there are not many characters and leaders out there, and that is something you need at home.

“If things do not go our way, we need to be stronger and we need goals. That gives you something to build on and some belief.

“We had a long chat about where things are going wrong and how we can iron out the problems.

“When we were passing the ball short the players were running long and when we were passing it long they were running short. We have to work it out on the training ground and get it right.

“The frustrating thing is that we know we are good enough and have enough experience in the side.

“Perhaps we need a few more characters and leaders both on and off the ball, when things are not going our way.”

Penney confessed there were no positives he could glean from the match, saying he felt “tortured, frustrated and disappointed” at the events which unravelled before his eyes.

He continued: “Chances and goals change games and we had two good chances and should at least have hit the target and made their ’keeper make a save.

“If we can do that, it gives you self-belief as a team but, unfortunately, we are not taking those chances, while at the other end we are chucking in goals.”

The Athletic manager added he does not know if the players find it easier to play away — they have collected four points on their travels as opposed to two at Boundary Park.

He went on: “We need to get to the bottom of it and start winning at home.

“The players who have come in should not be affected by that stat.”

Hartlepool manager Chris Turner explained his side’s game plan was to get at Athletic early on, especially down the flanks.

He described it as a great team performance and on another night they might have won by a wider margin.

Turner, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, added it is important for the fans to stick behind the team following criticism of their home defeat by Norwich City the previous week.

He said: “If the fans have faith in the players and not be so disappointed after one poor performance in six or seven games, these boys will have a chance.

“But if they slaughter them after one bad performance, how do you expect these new boys to settle in?”


Saturday’s Coca-Cola League One results:

Brighton 1 Wycombe 0, Bristol Rovers 2 Millwall 0, Carlisle 3 Tranmere 0, Charlton 2 Brentford 0, Gillingham 3 Exeter 0, Leeds 2 Stockport 0, Milton Keynes Dons 2 Huddersfield 3, Norwich 0 Walsall 0, Southampton 0 Colchester 0, Yeovil 0 Swindon 1.
Latics’ next game: Saturday, Bristol Rovers (A), Coca-Cola League One