Dickov wrong, says Worthington

NIGEL Worthington has hit back at Paul Dickov’s claims about an injury sustained by Warren Feeney (left).

NORTHERN Ireland manager Nigel Worthington has hit back at Athletic boss Paul Dickov over striker Warren Feeney's injury.

Dickov was unhappy that Feeney had played in a friendly game in Montenegro last week.

Citing the 29-year-old's tight groin as evidence that he was not ready for a second game inside five days, Dickov believes that the former Luton and Cardiff forward should not have turned out for the second half in his country's 2-0 defeat.

“Warren told the people in Ireland he was struggling a little bit, but in a friendly for whatever reason he played for 45 minutes up front on his own," said Dickov, following Athletic's 3-0 home win over Notts County which Feeney sat out.

“You have to look after players. It is common sense. But for some reason he played for his country with a sore groin."

Worthington, though, says Dickov was 'wrong' in his criticism over the issue.

"Warren Feeney never said anything to any of our medical people about having a problem with his groin, so Paul Dickov's got that wrong," Worthington told the Belfast Telegraph.

"As far as I was concerned Warren was fine. He took part in every training session and at that stage never mentioned his groins.

"The only time that came up was towards the end of the game when he said he was feeling it, but not before."

Feeney's appearance for his country in Podgorica was his first since last November’s 1-0 home defeat to Serbia.

On arriving at Athletic after a frustrating spell with Cardiff City when he was starved of action, Feeney said that regular first-team football in order to get back involved in the international set-up was a primary goal.

Northern Ireland's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign starts in Slovenia on September 3 and the Athletic striker will be keen to put on a repeat show. The last time the two sides met 15 months ago, he scored the only goal in a World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park.


TOM Eaves made his first appearance in a Bolton shirt this week.

The striker, signed by the Premier League club from Athletic for an undisclosed fee, started for Wanderers' reserve side as they defeated Manchester City 2-1 at home in the Manchester senior Cup.

Eaves (18) lasted an hour before being replaced. Bolton's goals were scored by Michael O'Halloran and Danny Ward, with Jeremy Helan claiming a late consolation.




PAUL Gerrard will be faced with an interesting conundrum in a couple of weeks' time.

Athletic's part-time goalkeeping coach spends half his working week at the club and the other half with Shrewsbury Town.

With the two sides facing each other in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Boundary Park on August 31, Gerrard will be hoping both 'keepers have blinders in a 0-0 draw before making a hatful of saves in the resulting penalty shoot-out.