Latics head for fixture pile-up

FRUSTRATED Athletic were left kicking their heels once again as their match at Stockport County was called off with just over two-and-a-half hours left to kick-off — the SIXTH time a fixture has fallen foul of the elements this season.

The problem this time was standing water on the Edgeley Park pitch following heavy rainfall and despite the best efforts of ground staff to clear the affected areas with sponge rollers, the surface was deemed to be unplayable after an early-evening inspection conducted by referee Jon Moss.

It is the second time in succession the fixture at County has hit the skids.

And it tags onto an unwanted sequence for Athletic which began with the frozen-off Boxing Day home game against Tranmere, followed by non-matches against Hartlepool (away), Leyton Orient (home), the original date at Stockport and Brentford (home).

The latest Stockport postponement means that Athletic boss Dave Penney is facing up to a major fixture pile-up.

The rest of this month alone contains six more games, starting with Tranmere Rovers away from home on Saturday.

There are Tuesday night trips in February to play-off contenders Swindon Town, in six days’ time, and second-placed Leeds United two weeks later.

And with both the Stockport away date and last Saturday’s postponed home fixture against Brentford still to be rescheduled, Athletic are set to be in action in midweek on no less than nine occasions out of a possible 13 before the end of the season.




ATHLETIC supporters can catch a glimpse of the future at Boundary Park tomorrow.



A fans’ consultation is being held in the sponsors’ suite at the ground between 3pm and 8pm concerning the proposed move to a new home in Failsworth.

There is no need to book and on show will be a site plan, a footprint of the stadium and visuals of the initial design.

A full presentation is set to follow at the end of this month, with details yet to be announced.