Frontline talent earn plaudits

PARK LIFE: TONY Philliskirk admits that the season up to now has been slightly disappointing for the youth team generally — though he is pleased with the attacking talent that has broken through.

The winter freeze that hit last weekend left Athletic without a fixture in the Football League Alliance, meaning the team enters the New Year in 10th place out of 18 in the North-West Conference.

On the plus side, though, a number of Philliskirk’s young charges have made it into the first-team squad this season.

Phillip McGrath, the young winger from Northern Ireland who has made a swift recovery from a double hernia operation, featured on the substitutes’ bench for the third time this season at Wycombe.

Though he wasn’t used, the experience will again have stood the 17-year-old in good stead.

“I would have hoped to be higher up the table at this point,” said Philliskirk.

“On the positive side, our offensive players like Tom Eaves, Djeny Bembo-Leta and Phillip McGrath have all made into the first-team squad and at the end of the day, that is what the ultimate goal of youth team football is.”

Another player who may well have joined that list but for bad luck is Kirk Millar. The promising Belfast-born winger is currently recovering from an ankle ligaments problem and is due to start training again in four to five weeks.