Refreshed Latics set sights on home help

DAVE PENNEY: Vital period ahead

ATHLETIC manager Dave Penney is hoping his refreshed side will hit Brentford with “all guns blazing” at Boundary Park tonight (kick-off 7.45pm).

The team enters a crucial two-game home run on the back of a 10-day break from action during which time the squad’s batteries have been recharged.

After the Bees have departed tonight, Gillingham are next up on home soil on Saturday.

And while Penney (pictured) stops short of labelling the two fixtures as must-wins, he accepts the importance of picking up points ahead of a tricky run of fixtures in April.

“It is not a must-win — when you have one game left in the season and need three points, that is a must-win for me,” said Penney, who welcomes back Dale Stephens (hip and hamstring) and Kelvin Lomax (groin) into his squad after injury.

“But it is important we do win and on Saturday as well to push us, with a game in hand, out of trouble and into mid-table.

“We have had a 10-day break that has enabled us to get a few players fit, including the likes of Dale Stephens.

“It also helped us rest those players who were carrying little knocks.

“The other side of the coin is that we are now two games behind on some other teams and Brentford is one of our catch-up matches.

“The games are running out so we need to pick up points to get safe and start planning for next season.”

Jim Goodwin misses out once again as a result of the persistent thigh strain that has seen the on-loan midfielder absent for the last seven matches.

And there is bad news for left-back Joe Jacobson, who has suffered a recurrence of the groin and abdominal muscle problem which kept him out for the early part of the season.

But Penney was also unequivocal on the fitness of winger Chris Taylor, who revealed in the Chronicle last week that he had undergone a scan on a groin and hamstring injury which he feels is restricting him during matches.

“He is fit, he is fine,” said Penney of Taylor. “He is a little bit sore but he trained most of the week after having a day off after the Brighton game.”

Athletic are without combative central midfielder Dean Furman, who serves the first of his two-game suspension having picked up 10 yellow cards this season.

Meanwhile, Brentford will have on-loan Hudders-field winger Lionel Ainsworth in their squad, though boss Andy Scott is still unable to call upon centre-back Mark Phillips (knee) and left-back Ryan Dickson (hamstring).


ATHLETIC’S reserves lost 2-1 to Preston last night, Andrew Crompton getting the home team’s only goal at Ewen Fields.