Mumps put us down in the dumps

DEAN FURMAN... ready for anything Tranmere can throw at him.

Sickness and suspensions main factors in slump — Furman

OFF-FIELD problems have not affected the morale of Athletic's players, says Dean Furman.

Despite the club suffering a knock-back on the proposed Failsworth move, a setback followed up by ongoing talk of leaving Boundary Park behind next season and a late payment of player wages last month, the midfielder believes that there are other reasons behind a startling dropping-off of results lately.

Heading into Monday's home televised clash with Tranmere, Furman cites the mini-mumps epidemic as being one of the forces behind a barren run which has seen Athletic sink to a lowly 15th in npower League One.

"The players don't take too much notice of that," said Furman when asked about the effect of decisions made away from the field.

"We keep our heads down and work hard in training every day."What has affected us is the suspensions that went round, the injuries to key players and the illness that has been going around the club which has been a major factor.

"Hopefully we have seen the back of those problems and can see the last eight games injury-free.

"When you are losing games, people are affected in different ways. But we are a strong group. We were when we were flying high in the league and we are now that things are going against us.

"It is at times like this that good team spirit will help us through."

The 1-0 loss at Colchester on Tuesday night was a sixth in succession and a third straight loss by the first and only goal of the game.

But the barren trend in front of goal would have been ended had one of Furman's own players not stood in the way of his fierce drive near the start of the second half at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

"We have watched it a few times and that is the way our luck is going at moment," Furman said of his volleyed effort.

"It hit Reuben Hazell and if he doesn't get in the way, then that goes in the bottom corner and we are 1-0 up and have something to hold onto.

"As it was, five minutes later they ran up the other end of the pitch and nicked a goal.

"The disappointing thing was, maybe a few heads dropped and we are going to have to stay stronger than that the next time we go a goal behind."

Despite Athletic's present predicament, Furman argues that the Tranmere game was always going to have held special significance even with — as is currently the case — Rovers being a mere four points behind in 18th.

"It was always going to be big game," he added. "They are our local rivals and you only have to look at the first game of the season to see what it meant to us and the fans to beat them (2-1) at their own place.

"They'll want to put one back over on us, but we are ready for it.

"We will work hard for the rest of the week and over the weekend in order to be ready for anything they throw at us."