Josh repays boss’s faith

JOSH Parker repaid a display of faith in his abilities with a show of promise against Bradford.

Starting the game on the wing, the 21-year-old surprised even himself by lasting a full 90 minutes on his first outing since damaging a knee against Rochdale in August.

A burst down the right almost created a goal in the opening minutes for the home side and the ex-QPR man's pace out wide provided a useful counterpoint to Luca Scapuzzi's trickery on the opposite flank.

Having moved ahead of Filipe Morais in the pecking order, Parker's goal now is to improve his fitness levels.

"Especially as we have been doing so well, I was surprised to get the call-up as I haven't even played 90 minutes in the reserves," said Parker, who travelled to Southend at the weekend as an unused substitute.

"The manager said to just come in and do what I can. He knows what I can do and believes in me. Hopefully I did all right. I have a lot more to do to get stronger and fitter and closer to where I can be.

"Hopefully, with doing a bit of extra work it can pay off."

Parker’s return to action could hardly be better-timed, as Athletic enter a frantic period of seven games in the next month.

"We have big games coming up like Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton and those are the ones you want to play in," he added. "Hopefully, that is what I can do in the next few weeks."



A BIG crowd is expected when Sheffield Wednesday visit Boundary Park on Saturday.

The Owls have already sold over 3,500 tickets and numbers could rise to more than 4,000.

The large attendance means car parking will be at a premium and supporters with cars are being asked to arrive half an hour earlier than usual. Turnstiles will open at 1.45pm.



MANAGER PAUL Dickov is among the panel for tomorrow night's fans' forum, being staged by BBC Radio Manchester at their new Salford Quays home.

The event, which takes place between 7.30pm and 10pm, sees Athletic's manager joined on stage by Rochdale boss Steve Eyre, Macclesfield assistant Glynn Chamberlain and former Bury player Nick Daws. It will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Manchester.