Diamond tonic

off target: Athletic striker Shefki Kuqi lets fly against Tranmere Rovers — but the effort flew wide.

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ZANDER Diamond is likely to be fit for Athletic’s home clash with Wycombe this weekend — but even if he does play, the captain’s armband could be headed elsewhere.

The centre-back, part of a defensive line-up which had conceded only once in the previous two games, missed the Tranmere clash with a back problem sustained in training.

It meant a recall for Jean-Yves Mvoto, who had a long-running battle with Enoch Showunmi at Prenton Park, playing alongside Nathan Clarke.

“Zander jarred his back,” Dickov explained. “He just slipped on the grass in training.

“He was a big miss for us as, particularly in the last two games, he has been outstanding. But the two centre-backs did well and I was pleased with them.”

Shefki Kuqi was captain on what was a frustrating day for the visitors. The 1-0 defeat, which featured precious few scoring opportunities for Athletic, ended a run of two wins in succession.

Aside from the first-half goal which was conceded, Athletic weren’t too shoddy defensively and Dickov has a tough choice over whether to bring Diamond straight back in.

But one player who looks certain to get the nod at Boundary Park on Saturday is Dean Furman.

The midfielder and first-choice club captain stepped out onto the field for the final half-hour at Tranmere as a replacement for Tom Adeyemi, his first lengthy run-out since knee surgery in August.

Busy as ever in trying to encourage Athletic’s misfiring players to pass the ball, it is difficult to envisage Furman being on the substitutes’ bench again this weekend.

“It was good to get him back on,” said Dickov on the South Africa-born player. “He gave us energy and passed the ball for us.”

Left-back Paul Black was back in the Athletic matchday squad at Tranmere, but didn’t get a taste of the action as a non-playing substitute.

While a win at Tranmere would have pushed Athletic to within two points of the play-off positions in npower League One, the defeat instead has the club nestled in a mid-table spot of 13th — as close to the relegation zone a the top-six.

Wycombe enjoyed a terrific win on Saturday, seeing off Hartlepool 3-1 at Victoria Park to climb out of the relegation zone.