Double strike lightens mood

. . .AND THAT MAKES TWO: Paul Heffernan punches the air in delight after doubling Athletic’s lead thanks to a deflected effort off Matt Taylor’s outstretched leg. PICTURES: TOM PICKLES

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AS the delighted Deane Smalley wheeled away after stylishly putting Athletic ahead, the mood instantly lifted at Boundary Park.

It had been a while — five hours and 23 minutes to be precise — since Athletic fans were last able to celebrate a goal.

The raft of statistics describing the chronic lack of potency of the home attack melted away when Smalley placed home a first-time shot following some alert play by substitute Dean Furman.

Athletic were capable of hitting the net after all. And just to prove the point, Paul Heffernan’s heavily-deflected effort on the back of a swift break forward made the game safe seven minutes later.

Exeter City looked a poor side, but nobody except their travelling 335 fans will care much about that.

Still, the visitors’ performance emphasised just what a difficult run of fixtures Athletic have had to endure lately.

Huddersfield, Leeds, Colchester and Norwich are now in the past with Wycombe, Tranmere and Hartlepool to come before the New Year.

Should Athletic play as confidently as they did in the second-half against Exeter, more points should be forthcoming from those games.

Solid at the back bar a couple of scares when opposition striker Adam Stansfield may have done better with close-range headers, Dave Penney’s injury-hit side passed the ball neatly and created a number of opportunities.

As at Carrow Road, Dale Stephens was again impressive spreading the play from centre-field, Danny Whitaker was unrecognisable from the player who struggled so much against Norwich City seven days earlier and the busy Smalley barely gave the visiting defence a moment’s peace.

There was also a general hunger about Athletic, a desire to come out on top in the 50-50 challenges and to mop up every second ball in midfield.

Perhaps things aren’t nearly as bad as the doom-mongers would make out.

The mood on entering the ground was certainly darker than on leaving. Heading into the game with an awful recent set of results, Penney admitted in the build-up to the weekend that his side were about to enter a crucial period of fixtures.

The opening half wasn’t particularly memorable to say the least.

Athletic made one change to the side which lost 2-0 at Norwich, Alex Marrow returning after suspension to take over from Furman in central midfield.

Smalley was pushed up front alongside Heffernan and Whitaker played wide on the left, with Joe Colbeck — withdrawn at half-time after one of his off-days — playing on the right of midfield.

The game’s first moment of excitement came about after nine minutes. Exeter midfielder Bertie Cozic struck a sweet shot from around 30 yards out which grazed the crossbar of Darryl Flahavan’s goal with the ’keeper comprehensively beaten.

Whitaker, drifting infield to good effect, then fired in a pair of decent long-range efforts of his own, the second of which after 25 minutes skated off the roof of the goal.

Fluency in passing was conspicuous by its absence for both sides in the opening period and Athletic were forced into a change six minutes before half-time. Furman replaced the limping Paul Black and resulted in Marrow going in at centre-half and Joe Jacobson taking up duties at left-back.

Keigan Parker came on for Colbeck at the break and was straight into the action, controlling a Smalley flick before unleashing a left-footed shot in the area which trickled a couple of feet wide of the far post.

Then came the opening goal. Heffernan’s flick in midfield looked to have just eluded Furman but the midfielder got his toe to the ball first and then slid in Smalley on the right of the area.

The weight of pass was perfect and the first-time, side-footed shot accurate in sweeping past veteran goalkeeper Andy Marriott.

Sean Gregan was booked a minute before Athletic’s second for a lunge at the ball after he miscontrolled, adding to first-half bookings for Colbeck and Smalley, both picked up for minor offences.

While the first goal was a product of a neat build-up, the second was route one. Whitaker launched a high ball down the left from his own half for Heffernan to chase and the on-loan striker got there first and turned on to his right foot before seeing his effort flick up off the leg of the outstretched Matt Taylor and loop into the right corner of the goal.

Stansfield should have hit the target when set free down the middle after 62 minutes, but his left-footed shot drifted harmlessly wide.

The visiting striker then had another chance to score nine minutes later, getting the last touch to a spot of head tennis in the Athletic area but failing to keep his effort down.

By this point Athletic were knocking the ball around well and a third goal wouldn’t have been too much of a surprise. Whitaker came close to getting it, fizzing another shot narrowly over the centre of the goal.

Stansfield missed again with 10 minutes left with a header from a central position and former Athletic loan man Scott Golbourne went close with a cross-shot from the left.

But with Sean Gregan again excellent in leading the team from the back, there was never any real feeling that Penney’s men were about to let the game slip.

The only other drama came in the final minute when Stephens became the latest victim of some over-zealous refereeing by Jock Waugh, his yellow card for a foul adding to Marrow’s equally harsh booking 11 minutes earlier to leave Athletic with a total of five.

The obligatory FA fine will be in the post, then, but you can’t imagine Penney will be too concerned with that on a much-needed positive afternoon for the club.




First goal gave us belief — Penney



ATHLETIC boss Dave Penney admitted his side thrived after finding the net in a morale-boosting home victory over Exeter City.



Second-half goals from strike pair Deane Smalley and Paul Heffernan secured a precious three points for Penney’s men, easing the pressure that had built up over a difficult period of games which had brought no wins in the last seven.

“It was important we got a result,” admitted Penney.

“We had said we are playing teams in and around us over the next four or five games, whereas previously we were playing top teams in the division.

“It was a great finish from Deane and the video camera is on that side so it will be nice to have another look at it.

“Deane has needed that and it is good to see the two centre-forwards scoring goals.

“Goals give you confidence and lift you and you could see Deane was lifted.

“You thrive on that so we are delighted with the goals and the result.

“The team is getting younger week by week and it is important that the likes of Reuben Hazell, Chris Taylor and Pawel Abbott come back as quickly as possible.

“We are all in it together. We stick together and work hard and the result is for the club — not for me and not for the players.

“It gives us three points and pushes us away a bit from that bottom area.”

Smalley’s neat side-footed finish and Heffernan’s deflected drive aside, Penney was also pleased that on-loan goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan finally had something to celebrate at the final whistle.

“I am delighted for Darryl,” added Penney.

“He has done nothing wrong in the time he has been here and that he hasn’t kept a clean sheet hasn’t been his fault.

“He is steady and composed at the back and so he gives us that little bit of belief.”

The neat passing of birthday boy Dale Stephens in central midfield also impressed a Boundary Park crowd of 6,230, a number boosted by a low-price entry initiative.

“Dale is a young boy who hasn’t had many starts, though he has been here a long time,” Penney said.

“People forget he is only 22. He has been out to Rochdale on loan and didn’t play as many games as we would have liked.

“He got some experience out there and everybody knows he can pass it. He has to learn to do the ugly side of it — the heading and tackling — and he is getting that now.

“He did well at Norwich and was great again here.”