Another blank day at the office

OUCH! Athletic midfielder Joe Colbeck is caught in a Norwich City sandwich.

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Athletic 0, Norwich City 1

Latics must find finishing touch in key spell ahead

AT least the most brutal section of the season is out of the way now.

No goals, no points and no headway in terms of getting out of the relegation mire: this is the sum total of a run of games away at Colchester and Leeds and at home to Norwich City.

All those sides have strong promotion chances while Athletic are currently preoccupied with avoiding a drop to Coca-Cola League Two.

But while it is true that hard luck stories are worth nothing in football, Athletic at least know that in two of those matches — at Colchester and against Norwich City at Boundary Park — they have played good football and fashioned a series of presentable chances.

Now, with a massive month ahead featuring matches against sides with similar ambitions to their own, Athletic are faced with the need to start converting their opportunities.

If Dave Penney’s side discover the secret to that trick, then mid-table is a perfectly reasonable goal come May. If not, then relegation is a certainty.

It really is that simple.

Norwich claimed a win that takes them five points clear at the League One summit thanks to Grant Holt’s emphatic finish following a break down the left by lively winger Anthony McNamee.

The goal, which came eight minutes after half-time, was Holt’s 25th of the season — more than Athletic have managed in the league all season.

The former Rochdale forward also missed with three other decent chances, but Athletic can point to extremely good openings of their own.

The best fell to substitute Keigan Parker. Racing on to a lobbed ball from inside his own half by Dean Furman, the Scottish striker surged clear of the trailing defence and was one-on-one with Fraser Forster with seven minutes left.

Unfortunately for the home support, Parker dallied for too long when deciding where to place the ball and his shot was charged down and behind by the Norwich goalkeeper.

Reuben Hazell rose highest from Dale Stephens’ corner seconds later but his powerful header was kicked off the line by Korey Smith, summing up another bad day at the office in front of goal from the home team.

Athletic had an early escape after 10 minutes when Holt headed home McNamee’s whipped-in cross from the right only to see a flag for offside.

At the other end Stephens struck a free-kick from 25 yards out which dipped on to the roof of the net with Forster beaten, before a long cross from Joe Jacobson was headed back across the face of goal by Hazell and agonisingly just out of reach of Jason Price sliding in next to the far post.

Norwich continued to look dangerous when coming forward and Holt skewed a pair of golden chances just before the half-hour. First he headed an inviting cross from Wes Hoolahan across goal and a foot wide and another headed effort, glancing at McNamee’s cross, flashed past Dean Brill’s goal.

Stephens’ set-piece cross was palmed away by Forster without falling kindly in the area but it was Norwich who again went so close to scoring, Holt dragging his left-footed shot well wide after being played in by Hoolahan.

Athletic almost ended the opening half on a high note when neat interplay between Pawel Abbott and Chris Taylor set Price into the penalty area but the big striker couldn’t get a meaningful shot away.

Six minutes after half-time Abbott had another attempt on goal when exchanging passes with Joe Colbeck which was easily gathered by Forster.

But it was the visitors who showed how it is done.

Hoolahan slipped a pass down the left which evaded right-back Kieran Lee, who slipped over chasing McNamee. The winger pulled a cross back and Chris Martin and his marker Jacobson both missed headers, the ball falling kindly for Holt to rifle into the roof of the net.

Furman hit a left-footed shot which was batted away by Forster as Athletic responded strongly to the setback and Taylor, off balance, headed a Stephens free-kick well over at the back post.

Parker entered the fray as a third striker on the hour but while Athletic assumed control of possession, the play was funnelled into the middle where it too often fizzled out.

With 13 minutes left Parker hit a volley from 20 yards out which was batted down by Forster and was soon cursing the goalkeeper again when he missed the home team’s best chance of the day.

Hazell had his bid to go out on his own as the team’s second-top scorer of the season on three goals, only to see his header blocked.

And Russell Martin nearly ribbed salt into the wound as Norwich broke away in the final minute but the right-back fired straight at Brill.




More frustration for boss Penney



THE ONLY thing missing was a goal for Athletic boss Dave Penney.



The home team competed well with leaders Norwich City but failed to find the back of the net for a 16th time this season — a total that now makes up more than half of all the games the team has played in League One so far.

A close-range finish from the prolific Canaries striker Grant Holt eight minutes into the second half took the points back to East Anglia, leaving Penney frustrated.

“The performance was excellent and it was again the same old story — we have got to put the ball into the back of the net,” said the Athletic manager, whose side remain in the relegation places.

“We were as good as them, certainly after the first 20 minutes when they started a little the better.

“We had some good chances but you have to take those chances.

“It is the same old story and really I am just repeating what I have been saying for quite a long time now.

“We haven’t scored enough goals and if you don’t score goals you ain’t going to win the game.”

Athletic’s best two opportunities came within seconds of each other.

Seven minutes from the end, substitute Keigan Parker was sent clear by Dean Furman’s ball over the top but the Scot hesitated too long and saw his shot blocked by goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

And from the resulting corner, Reuben Hazell’s powerful header was cleared off the line by Korey Smith.

“What I would say is that it was Keigan’s pace that got him in there,” Penney added.

“That is why we freshened it up, putting Jason Price on the right hand side and getting Keigan up there to give us that threat in behind them.

“We had good chances at Colchester and while Leeds was poor, here we gave the leaders a really good game and they will know it.

“The chances — one-on-ones and clearances off the line from corners — have got to go in if you want to win games.

“It is very difficult to have a go at the players. They gave 100-per-cent and their work-rate, effort and commitment was first-class.

“I feel sorry for them putting in a shift like that and getting no points.”

As for the games to come, Penney feels that a month containing matches against Exeter, Wycombe and Stockport — all three of the sides currently below Athletic in the table — will end up defining the season.

“Of the next seven games we have got, five are at home,” Penney said.

“They are all against teams in and around us, including the away games at Stockport and Exeter.

“So this is the month that will decide where we end up, I think.”




Latics’ next game: Saturday, Exeter (A), Coca-Cola League One