Price is right for Athletic

Jason Price wheels away after scoring for Millwall.

JASON PRICE has been backed by boss Dave Penney to provide some missing nous to the Athletic front line.

The 32-year-old has arrived on a month’s loan from Coca-Cola League One rivals Millwall in a bid to provide fresh impetus to an Athletic side badly lacking goals this season.

Penney knows what to expect of the distinctive Welsh forward, having coached him previously at Doncaster, and he is set to throw him straight into the action for tonight’s huge away match at Stockport (7.45pm kick-off).

“I know Jason very well and I brought him from Hull to Doncaster where he did great for me,” said Penney of a player who has made seven starts this season since signing on a free transfer from the Dons.

“He is a bit of a cult figure with his afro and he certainly knows the game.

“We need that experience up front that we have been missing. Pav (Abbott) is coming back from his injury, we have Keigan (Parker) and Chris O’Grady has gone to Rochdale which we had to do as he was running out of contract.

“So this enables us to get more experience, more know-how and hopefully, more goals.”

Other deadline day business at the club saw Crystal Palace goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan return to Boundary Park on a loan deal until the end of the season, while Huddersfield right-back or central midfielder Jim Goodwin’s spell at the club has been extended until the end of the campaign.

“He has been great for us,” said Penney of Goodwin. “We like the character that he brings and the mental toughness, which we haven’t got enough of in this club.”

One blow the club received yesterday was the news that Rob Purdie requires an operation on his troublesome hip injury and will not play this season. The former Darlington utility man signed in the summer but hasn’t made a single first-team appearance.

Andy Holdsworth is another ruled likely by Penney to miss the rest of the campaign as he recovers from knee surgery.

As for tonight’s game, Chris Taylor may not play after picking up a bang on the hip in training. The winger has had a scan but the injury is not thought to be serious.

Stockport have suffered a blow on the eve of tonight’s game by losing captain Michael Raynes to Scunthorpe for an undisclosed fee.

The transfer of the 22-year-old centre-back was completed moments before the deadline.

County, 12 points adrift of safety at the foot of League One, have snapped up a replacement in Paul Huntington after his contract was terminated at Leeds by mutual consent.

Athletic (from): Brill, Goodwin, Hazell, Gregan, Jacobson, Smalley, Furman, Stephens, Taylor, Abbott, Parker, Black, Whitaker, Lee, Marrow, Brooke, Eaves, Colbeck, Price, Flahavan.


PETERBOROUGH have appointed former Stockport and Motherwell manager Jim Gannon as their new boss, following yesterday’s sacking of Mark Cooper.