WIN UGLY!

ALAN HARDY: winning is what counts

As pressure on Latics mounts, Hardy wants victory, not style

ATHLETIC are concentrating on content over style as they bid to stave off relegation.

Only two points clear of the bottom four in Coca-Cola League One and with games in hand having all-but evaporated, manager Dave Penney is in desperate need of a victory over fellow strugglers Gillingham on Saturday.

The stage is set for a tense tussle at Boundary Park.

And the club’s chief executive Alan Hardy says that from now on, the only thing that matters is picking up the necessary points total to stave off the drop.

“We can only admit that the football has not been the greatest this season,” Hardy admitted.

“But from now on, it is results that count.

“The players that go out onto the field have to produce the goods in order to excite the fans and hopefully they will do that on Saturday.”

Penney is under heavy fire from Athletic fans and with a desperately low crowd of only 2,833 at Boundary Park for the Brentford defeat on Tuesday night, rumours are circulating that current Peterborough boss Jim Gannon will be approached by the club in the summer to come in as Penney’s replacement.

Gannon impressed while managing Stockport and still lives locally. With his contract at London Road coming to an end in May, the 41-year-old Irishman is a logical option should the club opt to make a change of manager.

Meanwhile, Daniel Nardiello is set to officially return to Blackpool today.

The striker, who was signed on loan by Athletic until the end of the season at the start of March, was injured in only his second appearance for the club.

His hamstring injury is severe enough to rule him out for most of the remainder of the season and with that in mind, Athletic are likely to terminate the deal with the minimum 28-day loan period now having expired.