Dean gripped by Wembley fever

Dean Furman in action

"WE ARE not being quiet about it . . . we want to get to Wembley."
Not the workaday comments of the usual third-tier footballer, perhaps — especially with the season barely three months in.

For captain Dean Furman and Athletic, though, these are far from usual times.

Before the current campaign, the club had not won a single cup-tie in any competition without the aid of a penalty shoot-out since Gary McDonald's thunderbolt against the blues of Everton put the club into the fourth round of the FA Cup almost four years ago.
After this week adding Crewe to Scunthorpe as Johnstone's Paint Trophy victims, Athletic's hopes of making a historic second-ever Wembley appearance are starting to edge towards the tangible.

Furman's banging of the drum can't be regarded as a flight of fancy. Not when two further stage victories — in a one-off semi-final and then a two-legged area final — against lower-division peers are all that is required.

"I always have a look out for Bradford as I had a great year there," said Furman, reflecting on the possibility of drawing out the last League Two club in the Northern section, one he played a full season for on loan from Rangers prior to signing permanently for Athletic.

"It would be nice to go up against them, but whoever we are drawn with, we are looking to really push on.”

The 3-1 home win over Crewe in the area quarter-finals stage contained three running themes of Athletic's season to date.

Slick passing football has been evident at various stages of the campaign, albeit not in a sustained enough fashion to fully satisfy manager Paul Dickov.

Against Dario Gradi's men Athletic moved the ball precisely and quickly, fashioning shooting positions at an average of almost one every three-and-a-half minutes.

A total of 25 efforts at goal were recorded, though another statistic — that the visitors committed a mere two fouls all game — serves to suggest that repetitions against more rugged opponents will be trickier to pull off.

The Alex tie also laid bare Athletic's defensive fragility. Nick Powell's equaliser in the second half was a result not only of skills which will surely see the 17-year-old midfielder shine in the Premier League in the near future, but also of a wretched switching-off in defence after conceding a throw-in.

Finally, there was the little matter of a pair of poacher's goals from Shefki Kuqi.

In the best scoring form of his career, the Finn — who turns 35 today — is as happy to indulge in the messy business of hunting down a deflection, stray pass or ricochet inside the penalty area as he is to ripple the netting from 25 yards.

Geeing up his colleagues before the game with a bear-hug, controlling awkward deliveries hoisted towards him to bring others into play and clearly being far from happy at being replaced late in the game against Crewe with a hat-trick still a possibility, Kuqi is exactly the figure Athletic were crying out for last term.

"It is massive having Shefki here," added Furman. "

“His presence has been great for us as a club and for any young striker watching he is a great example.”