Penney facing selection poser

Photo: Max Flego

Dean Furman: Available after a ban.

DAVE PENNEY has a number of selection posers for tonight’s trip to Walsall — traditionally a happy hunting ground for Athletic.

Two unidentified players were sent home early from training yesterday due to illness and a further “two or three” missed the session altogether with niggling injuries, providing the manager with something of a headache ahead of the Coca-Cola League One game at the Banks’s Stadium.

Penney has Dean Furman available once again after sitting out a one-match suspension, though he could opt to keep an unchanged midfield following the team’s comeback in the 2-2 home draw with Colchester at the weekend.

“We will have a clearer picture of who is available later, but Dean comes back into the equation,” said Penney, who is aiming to add to a record of four successive league wins away at Walsall.

The last of those came on the final day of last season, a game Penney saw from the stands as young Ryan Brooke notched the winner in a 2-1 victory.

After heading the crucial equaliser against Colchester, Brooke is now pushing for a starting spot but the Athletic manager remains cautious.

“I saw him score against Walsall last season on my first viewing of him and he is steadily progressing,” added Penney.

“He is still only a young boy but is a good header of the ball, so if it dropped to anyone on Saturday we wanted it to drop to him and it was a good finish.”

Penney wants his side to again play a patient game against a Walsall side featuring two players with local connections in former Athletic striker Darren Byfield and ex-Chadderton FC man and Northern Ireland international Steve Jones, the latter with six goals to his name in the last seven matches.

“Nothing will change,” he added. “We will try and pass it again. That is the way we want to play and I am delighted with the way we did it on Saturday, so we need more of that.”

Athletic (from): Flahavan, Holdsworth, Hazell, Gregan, Hills, Smalley, Whitaker, Marrow, Colbeck, Taylor, Blackman, Furman, Brill, Jacobson, Parker, Lee, Stephens, Black, Brooke.

Walsall boss Chris Hutchings is not expected to make many changes to his line-up tonight, following a run of three wins in the last four which have pushed the team up to 10th in the table.

Byfield, released by Athletic following a trial period earlier this season, has scored five goals for the Saddlers this season and can’t wait to line up against his good friend Reuben Hazell.

“He’s my best mate, my best man at my wedding, the godfather to my daughter and he plays centre-half,” said Byfield.

“It is massive he doesn’t get the better of me on Tuesday, no pressure. It’s not to do with Oldham, it’s between me and Reuben!”

Walsall (probable): Ince; Weston, Smith, Hughes, Sansara; Jones, Mattis, Bradley, Richards; Byfield, Deeney. Subs: Oxley, Till, McDonald, Westlake, Parkin, Nicholls, O’Keefe.