Dickov aiming high

Paul Dickov

ATHLETIC boss Paul Dickov has called on his troops to prove their play-off credentials in tomorrow’s trip to Carlisle United.

The midweek draw at Preston was enough to stay in 12th position in the npower League One table, four points off a coveted top-six spot.

And Dickov is desperate to pick up enough points in the next two months to be in touch with the leading pack by Christmas.

He said: “I am really disappointed we are not further up the table at this point — I believe we should be six points better off.

“That said, if we keep our momentum going we should still be there or thereabouts in a couple of months.

“Speaking for the management staff, we would like to be within touching distance of the play-off positions by Christmas.

“You can never get into that top-six too soon. People who watched us last season may disagree with that statement, but we want to be in the mix all the time.

“However, if we do not get a positive result at Carlisle we could find ourselves off the pace again so the boys know what they have to do.”

Striker Lee Miller has bagged six goals in 10 games for the Cumbrians and represents the biggest threat at Brunton Park tomorrow.

The 6ft 2in hitman is no stranger to Athletic — he is a former Aberdeen team-mate of centre-half Zander Diamond, and Dickov knows him well from their time in the Scotland set-up.

“I am aware of Lee’s capabilities so I didn’t even need to consult Zander,” the manager added.

“He is dangerous and is on a good run at the moment. Lee has been a threat at every club in his career.

“If he plays well, Carlisle tend to win.”

Dickov reserved special praise for Athletic’s fans, who turned out in their droves at Deepdale last time out, and reminded them they can make a difference to events on the pitch.

He said: “The supporters have always been great and at Preston they were unbelievable — it was like a home match for us.

“The players commented on it afterwards. As much as it is down to us to get the fans going, their backing gets our lads buzzing without a doubt.”

Shefki Kuqi has been declared fit after coming off with a tight groin at Deepdale, while Filipe Morais (hamstring) is rated 50-50.

Provisional squad: Cisak, Clarke, Mvoto, Lee, Mellor, Diamond, Black, Wesolowski, Furman, Morais, Taylor, Adeymi, Kuqi, Simpson, Smith, Winchester, Millar, Gerrard.

Tomorrow’s npower League One fixtures (all kick-offs 3pm): Brentford v Chesterfield; Bury v Stevenage; Carlisle v ATHLETIC; Colchester v Notts County; Hartlepool v Charlton; Preston v Bournemouth; Rochdale v Leyton Orient; Scunthorpe v Tranmere; Sheffield Utd v Exeter; Walsall v MK Dons; Wycombe v Sheffield Wed; Yeovil v Huddersfield.

ATHLETIC will discover their first-round opponents in this season’s FA Cup competition on Sunday.

The Boundary Park club are ball 30 in the draw, which is being shown live on ITV1 at 1.30pm.