Fans to savour Blackpool test

AFTER a starter at Barrow, a palate cleanser at Mossley and a couple of secret snacks at Blackburn and Wigan, Athletic are ready to tuck into the meat of pre-season's main dish on Saturday.

That is how the supporters may see it, at least.

The clash with newly-relegated Championship outfit Blackpool at Boundary Park (3pm kick-off) provides the home fans with a first opportunity to witness the 2011-12 squad up against higher-level opposition.

Manager Paul Dickov and his staff have been preparing and running pre-season training for weeks. Publicly, though, this is the fixture that will provide the best indication thus far as to how the squad is shaping up ahead of the all-important Sheffield United home game a fortnight later.

One of the few things perfectly clear at this stage is that Dickov has stripped the playing roster of the fat weighing it down a year ago.

And even since the end of the last campaign in May, 10 players — not including loans — have departed.

Contracted men Dean Brill, Andy Todd, Reuben Hazell, Ritchie Jones, Deane Smalley, Lewis Alessandra, Dale Stephens, Josh Ollerenshaw, Rod McDonald and Cedric Evina have all said their Athletic goodbyes.

So have borrowed stars Jason Lowe, Oumare Tounkara, Aidan White and Neal Trotman.

New men Matt Smith, Jean-Yves Mvoto, Alex Cisak and Zander Diamond represent the quartet of current replacements.

Presented with a reduced playing budget compared to last season, Dickov pledged to create a slimline squad, leavened with youth-team players as and where is necessary.

For good or bad — and it is more a case of 'needs must' than anything else — that is exactly what has been achieved.

So far, Athletic's pre-season fortunes have travelled on an upward curve. After losing 2-0 at Barrow in lacklustre fashion, a 1-0 victory over Mossley was followed up by a couple of private games at Blackburn, Athletic winning the first 1-0 before losing the second 5-0.

It is all about performances and an appetite to play football the right way that Dickov is looking for, though, and he declared himself to be "delighted" with the effort during the behind-closed-doors 1-0 win at Wigan on Tuesday in which Reuben Reid scored the only goal.

In spite of the lightness of numbers in his squad, Dickov remains optimistic about the team's prospects for the coming campaign.

"The boys' attitude has been great," he said. "We are all working towards the same goal of striving to improve on last season.

"The main thing for us in these pre-season matches is to improve, game-on-game.

"Wigan and Blackburn were great tests for us, particularly because when top Premier League players are asked to play in different systems during a game, as they do in these matches, they are able to adapt to it.

"The challenge for us is then to handle that, against top players. And with respect, if we can cope against sides like these then we can do so in League One.

"Blackpool is an even bigger opportunity for us to improve."

After taking on the Tangerines, Athletic are in action again on Tuesday, July 26, when Burnley come to Boundary Park (7.45pm kick-off).