Tom seeking ad-ded time

TOM ADEYEMI . . . enjoying his loan spell at Boundary Park.

I want to stay on and see the job through, insists midfield dynamo

THE footballer who prefers to pull on his boots in the reserves over playing first-team football is a rare beast.

Even the possibility of rubbing shoulders with Premier League superstars returning from injury in the 'stiffs' doesn't nearly compensate for being sidelined on a matchday — at least, not for the player possessing at least a smidgen of ambition and pride.

"I wouldn't mind where it was, even the Dog and Duck," said out-of-favour Athletic striker Ryan Brooke earlier this season, on the chance of getting a temporary move.

"Three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon is what it is all about, not two o'clock on a Wednesday."

How many, then, would gladly swap being an important part of an Athletic squad knitted together by the salivating prospect of not one, but two potential outings at this country's most iconic venues, for trotting out for the benefit of a handful of scouts in a second-string squad? The answer is between none and zero.

Athletic have five loan players on board at present. Robbie Simpson heads back to Huddersfield Town with utmost reluctance after Saturday's game against Sheffield Wednesday, while the other four — Nathan Clarke, Luca Scapuzzi, Andrea Mancini and Tom Adeyemi — are technically all set to wave their goodbyes to the club after the npower League One fixture at Chesterfield on January 2.

Dickov has already said he will do everything he possibly can to keep the quartet on, while also trying to come up with a deal to bring back Simpson. Other clubs may yet compete for their services.

But who else in the Football League can potentially offer two once-in-a-career highlights within 11 weeks of each other? Anfield and Wembley are powerful calling cards.

All the loan players have been careful not to burn any bridges at their parent clubs by dropping to their knees declaring their love for all things Athletic.

But it doesn't take an Enigma machine to decode the feelings of Norwich City-owned Tom Adeyemi on whether he wants to be a part of such grand occasions.

"We have a real togetherness in the team," said the articulate 20-year-old, whose goal against Bradford helped take Athletic to within two matches of a Johnstone's Paint Trophy final.