Penney backed into a corner

BRIGHT SPARK... Paul Black produced an impressive display against Leeds.

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

Missing players leave manager little room for manoeuvre
EXCUSES, excuses.

The dog ate it, the cheque is in the post, the taxi will be coming round your corner anytime now. We've all heard them, plenty of times.

Then there's the old football manager's favourite: Too many injuries.

Some Athletic fans have placed blame on Dave Penney for trotting out this familiar line after a series of disappointing results.

But is that really fair?

It may be a familiar refrain, but the luckless Athletic boss has a decent point.

Presiding over a squad with a comparatively tight budget as it is, few of Penney's League Two peers could afford to lose players of the calibre and experience at this level of football such as Jon Worthington, Pawel Abbott, Rob Purdie and, more lately, Chris Taylor.

The Athletic boss has been left with the task of trying to hammer square pegs into round holes — right at the point in the season when the club faces its toughest run of games.

Recently-relegated Southampton, the big-spending goal machine of Huddersfield, a combative Colchester United side flying high in the upper echelons of the table and a club with a squad large enough to put out two very competitive teams, Leeds United, have all visited Boundary Park to take away three points in the past coupe of months.

In the case of Leeds they pulled off successive 2-0 victories, the first in the FA Cup and the second on Tuesday night in the league thanks to strikes from ex-Athletic man Neil Kilkenny and Luciano Becchio.

Add to the mix tricky away days at a windswept Gillingham, Walsall in midweek and, this coming Saturday, away to a Norwich team bursting with confidence after a superb recent run and you begin to feel some of Penney's pain.

"If you want to play Leeds then you want all your best players available," said a contemplative Athletic manager, who was forced to do with no less than six absent players who would in other circumstances be first choices.

"You want Jon Worthington, you want Chrissy Taylor, you want Pawel Abbott and your Rob Purdies, Reuben Hazells and Andy Holdsworths.

"But we haven't got them. So we have to just get on with what we have got and we had a real good go at them.

"We lost our way and lost a bit of confidence when we went 1-0 down and it took us a while to get back in the game.

"It came to half-time and we settled them down a bit and had another go. But obviously that second goal killed us off.

"We know now that we have another really tough trip to Norwich so we will have to see who is available.

"I don't think we will have anybody back. Chris Taylor and Reuben Hazell would be the closest, but I don't think they will be back fit and available.

"So we will have to go with what we have got again."

One silver lining among the darkening clouds against Leeds was the performance of Paul Black.

The 19-year-old left-back had impressed with his efforts in training and the reserves to gain a first start under Penney, replacing suspended Lee Hills in preference to summer signing Joe Jacobson.

"Paul Black has been chomping at the bit," Penney added.

"The first game I saw here was over at Walsall at the end of last season and he was poor, to be fair, coming off at half-time.

"But he has been excellent in the reserves and has managed to get a run clear of injuries, which he has struggled with in the past.

"He deserved his chance and he took it well."

After the Carrow Road test on Saturday, Athletic settle down to a more manageable set of fixtures compared to those of late.

Exeter travel to Boundary Park on Saturday, December 12, for a game Athletic bosses hope will be witnessed by a bumper pre-Christmas crowd.

Then it's off to Wycombe, followed by a home game against Tranmere on Boxing Day and a journey north to Hartlepool two days later.

For Penney there won't be any time for excuses, justified or not, when those fixtures come around