Taylor reveals hurt of Latics’ ‘shattering’ barren spell

NOTHING but a much-needed win will do for Athletic winger Chris Taylor tomorrow.

Athletic take on Sheffield Wednesday at Boundary Park bidding to correct the worst goalscoring run since the 1921-22 season.

Paul Dickov’s goal-shy side went down to a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday — report and reaction on Pages 34-35 — to leave the team 11th in npower League One, nine points adrift of the play-off places with only 12 matches of the season remaining.

Taylor — who was particularly conspicuous in his applause of the travelling support for Athletic at Dean Court — describes the current rut as “shattering”.

“I am sick of saying ‘we need to win the next game, we need to win the next game’,” Taylor said, after Athletic played out their sixth match in a row without a goal.

“We are just not doing it and in the end we are going to run out of games.

“The gap could end up being too big between us and the play-offs.

“We need to put it right. Getting three points against Sheffield Wednesday is nothing else but a must.”

While some have speculated that the late payment of wages last week may have had an effect on the squad, Taylor says this was not the case for him.

“It might affect some people, I don’t know,” he said.

“We didn’t get paid on the Friday and it was in on Wednesday. It was a few days late but we got it.

“Certainly, when I cross the line it is nothing that I am thinking about.

“I just play for the club, the manager and the rest of the players here. I don’t think about being paid.”

And the winger also detailed the increased work put in behind the scenes in the lead-up to the journey to Bournemouth.

“Training was excellent,” he said. “We had some of the sharpest sessions for a good while, every day.

“We really believed we could come to Bournemouth and win — but we switched off a couple of times and were punished to leave with nothing.”

Manager Dickov remains keen on bringing back Sunderland central defender Jean-Yves Mvoto to the club on loan until the end of the season.

He would like to reunite the big Frenchman at the heart of defence with captain Reuben Hazell, who had a scan on a sore back late last week.

“We have missed both of them,” Dickov said. “The one thing they will do is get their heads on the ball in both boxes.”

Dickov also paid tribute to the hardy band of 289 fans representing Athletic at Dean Court.

“The fans down here were fantastic again,” he added. “I apologise to them, as they have come a long way to see us concede three goals. The fans have been magnificent.”