Dean’s cracker fires Latics

LEWIS Alessandra takes a tumble under a Notts County challenge.

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Athletic 3, Notts County 0

Latics’ first three-sheet since February 2009

DEAN Furman’s goal was one to take the breath away.

You don’t have to watch the televised highlights for too long before coming across a long-range effort which arrows into the top corner.

And the fast-forward button on the remote won’t be worn out before you witness a well-worked team move end with the net sporting a ball-shaped bulge.

To find a combination of the two, though — well, that is rare indeed.

Yet it is exactly what Athletic produced at Boundary Park.

Prior to the opening goal, Notts County were arguably the better side. In Ben Davies, mystifyingly substituted with around 20 minutes left, they possess a crosser of the ball with more bend than old ‘Goldenballs’.

Time and again high-quality deliveries were flying into Athletic’s penalty area.

And the imposing figure of Ben Burgess really should have done better than scuff his close-range volley into the ground after eight minutes.

In fairness, even before that Paul Dickov’s men would have been a goal up had Oumare Tounkara not fluffed his lines after only 65 seconds, applying shoulder rather than head to an inviting cross from man-of-the-match Ritchie Jones.

The miss mattered little and Tounkara went on to more than make amends.

Athletic had started the game in indifferent fashion prior to the diminutive Furman’s giant intervention.

Then it came. Djeny Bembo-Leta started a superb spell of first-time passing which involved Dale Stephens, Lewis Alessandra and a whirl of movement.

The ball was spread to Furman. And the player who had earlier in the week expressed his desire to get on the scoresheet did exactly that.

From 30 yards out, the former Bradford player shoved the ball out of his feet and struck a sweet drive which arrowed past Stuart Nelson in the Notts County goal.

visibly relaxed

The goal not only got the crowd going, it also visibly relaxed the players and more good football followed.

Noticeably sharper in the second half, Athletic posed too many questions that Notts County couldn’t answer.

The second goal was another excellent effort. Showing a capability for playing long as well as short, Kieran Lee’s ball into the right channel for the physical Tounkara didn’t appear to pose too much danger.

But the French striker wanted to prove otherwise, stroking a right-footed shot past a surprised Nelson and into the far corner from a tight angle.

The third was the icing on a cake which will taste sweet for boss Paul Dickov, even at this embryonic stage of a long and tough season.

Kieran Lee started and finished a sweeping move which ended with Tounkara crossing for the right-back to finish in the six-yard box.

Who knows what Lee was doing up there. But few Athletic fans, or even coaching staff, will care too much.

After Tounkara’s early miss, Notts County enjoyed plenty of pressure.

Davies swung a free-kick in which Brill saved with his legs and the goalkeeper also had to be alert to keep out a near-post drive by the same player.

Burgess missed his big chance from Davies’ cross and right-back Krystian Pearce could also have done better than miscue his volley at goal.

Jones then stung Nelson’s palms after exchanging passes with Bembo-Leta, but County continued to threaten on crosses and Lee had to be alert to smuggle out Pearce’s header with Hughes waiting to pounce.

Furman’s cracker relaxed Athletic, who almost went two up when Alessandra fizzed a shot across Nelson and wide from the left of the penalty area.

The visitors emerged early for the second half but were well behind in terms of speed of thought after the break.

A couple of moments in which Brill was forced to punch away aside, there wasn’t too much of a threat from Notts County prior to Tounkara’s excellent second goal.

And he game was up for Craig Short’s men three minutes from time when Lee crashed the ball home in front of the Rochdale Road stand. The last time Athletic scored three goals in a game was against Millwall on February 28, 2009 — a run of 64 matches. And among the marksmen for Athletic on that day was Lee Hughes!

‘From zero football to total football’ was how one wag in the press room described Dickov’s Athletic in comparison to last season. That may be putting the case a little too strongly, but there is no denying the sentiment. Things are looking up at Boundary Park.




Players respond to Dickov’s urgings



A FIRST clean sheet of the season was the highlight of another satisfying weekend for Athletic manager Paul Dickov.



Despite a few nervy moments from crosses, particularly in the early stages of the game, Notts County’s front line of returning former star Lee Hughes and Ben Burgess failed to breach ’keeper Dean Brill’s goal.

And three high-quality strikes — Boundary Park will probably not see a finer effort this season than Dean Furman’s first-half thunderbolt — put the tin lid on a second successive npower League One victory which takes Athletic to the heady heights of top spot in the division.

“I felt that with the one we conceded at Tranmere and the two at Scunthorpe, while we were excellent in both games we needed to stop giving away silly goals,” said Dickov.

“Even when we went 3-0 up, the determination of the boys to get a clean sheet was fantastic as Notts County are always a danger from set pieces.

“And we scored three great goals as well.

“I wasn’t pleased with us in the first half. I didn’t think we played particularly well.

“I keep saying it that when we are at it we are a decent team but we didn’t do that at times.

“We came in 1-0 up and I told the boys what I expected of them in the second half. And they were excellent.

“We want the boys to have belief in how good they can be. First and foremost we want to work hard and make it difficult for sides to play against us.

“We believe we have good players in the team and we want the players to believe that themselves.”

Furman’s opening goal arrived after a period of quick, one-touch passing of the sort normally found in the higher divisions.

Suitably carved open, the visitors were helpless to stop Furman from striking his first goal for the club – much to Dickov’s surprise.

“We have been doing shooting in training all week and he hasn’t hit the target once,” said the Athletic manager of his South Africa-born midfielder.

“They were three fantastic goals which came as a result of us winning the ball back.

“In the first half we were in a rush to find the killer pass.

“It is hard to turn it around. We want them to be on the front foot and to give 110-per-cent, closing people down.

“But when we get the ball they need to switch that off, relax and pass it.

“Our three goals came from just that.

“We are learning all the time. The team are learning, I am learning and we are happy.

“But the worst thing we could do is get carried away.

“I am delighted with the performance but it is a start, and that is all it is.”

Notts County manager Craig Short was critical of his side’s attitude during the game, a second successive 3-0 defeat in the league.

“Against Huddersfield we were playing against a good side,” Short said.

“But this is Oldham and with respect, they are not going to be challenging for promotion.

“At times we made them look like Real Madrid.

“If we continue like that, there will be big changes within the club.”