Athletic hope to beat freeze

Chris Taylor: Hoping to be fit to face Tranmere Rovers.

ATHLETIC officials are hopeful that the crunch Boxing Day clash with Tranmere will go ahead despite the big freeze.

The Boundary Park playing surface is currently under between six and seven inches of snow, which arrived over the weekend.

At present, that covering is serving as a protection to the pitch from ice. And despite temperatures dropping below -8C last night, the good news is that readings of up to 2C and showers are forecast later this week.

The hope is that the surface gradually clears as a result, leaving ground staff with the task of clearing any remaining snow off the pitch in time for Saturday’s Coca-Cola League One fixture to take place.

Athletic will enter the game wanting to wipe away the disappointment of conceding an equalising penalty two minutes from time at Wycombe for a 2-2 draw, a game in which Dave Penney’s side were well on top for most of the contest.

Penney has already spoken of his hope that he will have key attacking players — Chris Taylor and Pawel Abbott — back for the Tranmere match and the one two days later away at Hartlepool.

Taylor has been missing since scoring a penalty in a 2-2 home draw with Colchester a month ago, having suffered from a hamstring problem.

Abbott’s last appearance came in the 1-0 home defeat by Huddersfield on November 1, after which he flew to Germany for a hernia operation in which he suffered from complications during surgery.

Both have been working hard on their fitness with physio Marc Czuczman recently, though Penney won’t want to risk either player if he doesn’t feel they are completely ready for a return to first-team action.

Reuben Hazell is definitely missing through a one-match suspension picked up after a fifth booking of the season at Wycombe, while there is no news yet on the fitness or otherwise of defensive trio Joe Jacobson (calf), Kelvin Lomax (groin) and Paul Black (groin).

All three players were absent at Adams Park through injury, as was Keigan Parker through illness.


THE Athletic club shop has received a new delivery of the navy and tangerine away kit.