Penney seeks cutting edge

CHRIS TAYLOR: Season could be over

DAVE PENNEY’S glass was both half-full and half-empty after a goalless draw in Milton Keynes edged Athletic closer to safety in Coca-Cola League One.

Defensively, the visitors at stadium:mk were sound with only a couple of opportunities for Jermaine Easter - one of which hit a post – troubling the back line.

But in attack, top scorer Pawel Abbott missed out with two chances, both from Lewis Guy crosses and the first of which he headed over unmarked from close range.

Armed with a point, Athletic drop to 17th place in the table behind Hartlepool but are now six points clear of the drop zone thanks to Tranmere’s home defeat against fellow strugglers Wycombe.

“It was a good performance,” said Penney, who reverted to a five-man midfield as at Huddersfield a week ago.

“Coming here against tough opposition we are delighted with the point. But we need to keep on going and keep picking up the points.

“They had about five or 10 minutes in the second half when we took our foot off the gas. We started to let them play and made a couple of errors, but in general we controlled it and it didn’t look like they were going to score.

“To come here, perform like that and defend like that is pleasing. It starts from the front and Pawel worked his socks off by himself. Lewis Guy stopped their full-backs getting forward, as did Deane Smalley.

“The shape suits us a little bit as Sean Gregan and Reuben Hazell can drop a little bit deeper with Dale Stephens sweeping up in front of them.

“The players have belief in it from the Leyton Orient performance when we won, at Huddersfield and here as well.

“At the moment, we don’t quite have that cutting edge the top teams have, but you keep working on it.

“The players are giving everything and the goals will come.”

Penney made the bold decision to substitute Joe Colbeck after only 35 minutes and felt the winger wasn’t contributing enough to the cause.

“We didn’t feel he was holding the ball, retaining possession and getting round the back of people,” Penney added.

“Deane Smalley was chomping at the bit and was unlucky not to start the game, so we put him on and he was more effective.”

Penney will now be without another wing option in Chris Taylor for at least “two to three weeks”.

A hospital scan has confirmed that Taylor has suffered a tear in his calf muscle, meaning his own personal season of disappointment may have already been brought to a premature end.