Taylor concern for Latics

Chris Taylor

ATHLETIC will turn their priority this week to trying to sort the problems of Chris Taylor.

The 22-year-old winger, one of the hottest properties in the lower divisions, was ruled out of Saturday’s goalless draw at Charlton through illness.

And it is the latest worry in a season which has so far been blighted by injury and ill health.

Taylor has looked a shadow of the player who was included in the 2008/09 PFA team-of-the-year in Coca-Cola League One. He scored 11 goals last season, but has yet to get off the mark this time.

Physio Marc Czuczman admitted Taylor’s health is a worry and they will be trying to get to the root of the problem over the next few days.

Alan Sheehan was another absentee on Saturday after he failed to recover from the ankle knock which he picked up the previous week against Yeovil.

COMPLETE

Though Sheehan managed to complete the game after treatment, the on-loan left-back was unable to shake it off.

Captain and central defender Sean Gregan received a painful kick to his ankle against Charlton, but managed to see it through to the end.

There was some good news on the injury front as midfield man Jon Worthington completed 90 minutes on Saturday, his first full game after missing four matches because of an ankle injury.

On-loan striker Nick Blackman was on the substitutes’ bench after recovering from a foot injury which had kept him on the sidelines for four matches.

Blackman might be given a run out in the reserves tonight at Hyde United, where Athletic tackle Manchester United in the Manchester Senior Cup, kick off seven o’clock.

Athletic are likely to include Kieran Lee and the remainder of the substitutes who were on first-team duty at Charlton on Saturday.

United’s side could feature the likes of Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, and Ritchie De Laet, who are all members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-team squad at Old Trafford.