Pawel to keep ’em guessing

Pawel Abbott scores from the spot

A CHANGE of direction helped Pawel Abbott to become Athletic’s matchwinner at Southend United on Saturday.

The penalty scored by striker Abbott secured three valuable points which hoisted Athletic to eighth place.

Abbott revealed the decision to smash the spot-kick into the centre of the goal wrong-footed Southend ’keeper Steve Mildenhall.

He said: “The ’keeper told me afterwards he had seen me score a penalty low to the right which is why he chose to dive that way.

“It shows how professional goalkeepers are that they study the way players take penalties – and it wasn’t as though I had taken the other penalty last week.”

Abbott admits he will have to keep one step ahead of goalkeepers by varying future spot-kicks.