Morais: I want to stay

FILIPE Morais sends Brentford’s Leon Legge the wrong way.

Dickov confident deal can be done
FRESH from scoring his first goal for the club, livewire winger Filipe Morais is ready to commit his future to Athletic — and his manager is confident a deal can be thrashed out.

The 25-year-old is still at the club on non-contract terms, despite a permanent deal being put to his agent way back in early November.

Both the player and his boss Paul Dickov are keen on him sticking around at Boundary Park.

But that could depend on whether Athletic improve the terms offered, Morais hinted.

“Nothing has been finalised yet,” said the former Chelsea trainee, who has had spells at MK Dons, Millwall and north of the border at St Johnstone, Hibs and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

“The club have made me an offer and I don’t really want to go into the contract.

“The manager knows what I want to do. I want to be here and that is what matters for me, personally, but the quicker we sort it out, the better.

“I really want to get things settled and settle down, to be honest.”

Dickov said: “It is getting sorted out. Filipe wants to sign and we want him to sign.

“Sometimes agents get involved when it is unneeded — let’s leave it at that.”

The second-half strike by Morais gave Athletic a two-goal cushion against Brentford and despite a late scare, helped the team to three points which maintained their position on the edge of the npower League One play-offs.

A trip to bottom club Walsall awaits tomorrow night (7.45pm kick-off) and Morais — who spoke of a “great environment at the club” — believes that talk of finishing in the top six is not idle.

“Anything can happen in football,” he added. “The one thing we have here is a great bunch of players who want to work hard for each other.

“We have got ability and players here who can play at a higher level.

“That is the good and exciting thing.

“And with a manager with the ambition and confidence he gives us all, anything is possible.”

Athletic have two major injury doubts ahead of the trip to the Banks’s Stadium.

Warren Feeney (ankle) and Neal Trotman (hamstring) both came off the field early on Saturday and will be assessed by the club today.

“Neal is a bit tight,” Dickov said. “We are hoping he will be okay. He didn’t feel anything go, it was just a bit of stiffness.

“Warren took a nasty kick on his ankle and went over on it a little bit.

“Hopefully it is just a knock and if it is, he shouldn’t be too long either.”

It is understood that Leeds United winger Aidan White, who played five matches on loan before heading back to Elland Road, will not make a return to the ranks in time for the Walsall match.