Dickov sticks to game plan

Paul Dickov: still driving hard

PAUL Dickov will not change his approach as Athletic head for Brighton tomorrow.

After a 5-2 defeat at Peterborough featuring calamitous defensive errors, some may have thought the Athletic manager would opt to make alterations to his playing system away from Boundary Park.

But it is a case of tweaks rather than wholesale changes being employed at the Withdean Stadium.

“Somebody said to me that at Peterborough we were a bit naive,” revealed Dickov, of a game in which Athletic were 2-0 up seconds before half-time.

“But I still feel that if we had done the basic things right, defended properly and cut out the individual errors, then we would have won the game.

“The Peterborough manager Gary Johnson agreed with me and Barry Fry (Peterborough’s director of football) agreed with me.

“The pleasing thing last week against Bournemouth was that we did the fundamental things right.

“Defenders defend, and if they do that properly we won’t concede.”

Warren Feeney’s ankle is the sole injury concern for Dickov — “he has got a chance, but we won’t risk him for one game,” the manager said — and the team is otherwise likely to be unchanged.

As it stands, Athletic are two points behind second-placed Brighton. It is a position Dickov is more than happy with.

“I would have snapped someone’s hand off if they had offered me seven games with only one defeat,” he said.

“The frustrating thing is, the three games we have drawn I feel we could have won.”