Young managers set to lock horns

PAUL Dickov will on Saturday come face-to-face with one of a new breed of managers who have guided their clubs to within three matches of promotion to the Championship.

Karl Robinson, at 30 years old and in charge of MK Dons who visit Boundary Park in the curtain-closer to Athletic’s season, is the youngest boss in the Football League.

The men in charge at his npower League One play-off rivals Huddersfield Town, Peterborough and Bournemouth — Lee Clark (38), Darren Ferguson (39) and Lee Bradbury (35) respectively — are all relatively new to management.

All of the above managers have hung up their boots, while 38-year-old Dickov retained his playing registration this season.

It could be that Dickov opts to call time on his playing career for good in the summer, but his immediate concern lies in putting out a team which can test Robinson’s MK Dons outfit, who can still finish the campaign as high as fourth.

That would give the Dons home advantage in the second leg of their play-off.

Athletic’s out-of-contract players will have one final chance to try to prove they are worthy of new deals this weekend.

A host of first-teamers are currently on contracts which expire this summer. One of those, left-sided player Cedric Evina, is unlikely to feature against the Dons as a result of an ankle injury picked up against Walsall which required a hospital scan this week.




ATHLETIC’S new black away kit — featuring the new club crest — goes on sale on June 2.



It will be used for two seasons, starting in 2011-12.