Plenty at stake

Praise for Morais as Latics gear up for key period
GIVE everything and presume nothing: that’s the message being meted out to Athletic with nine points up for grabs over the next week-and-a-half.

Team members are also looking for coveted places on the team sheet for Anfield.

Athletic assistant manager Gerry Taggart hopes players will follow the example of Filipe Morais.

The winger was again a vibrant presence after coming off the substitute's bench to net a late equaliser against Charlton at The Valley - and is now pressing to be handed a start.

With games against Hartlepool on Boxing Day, Notts County on New Year’s Eve and Chesterfield on January 2, Athletic are stressing the need for every player to give his all to give themselves the best chance of landing a Liverpool spot.

“Filly’s form has been patchy this season,” said Taggart, in his second season alongside manager Paul Dickov. “But on the last few occasions he has appeared as a substitute, he has been excellent and he was rewarded with his goal. We want our substitutes to make an impact. If he keeps on performing like that, he will give the manager a headache of the right kind.

“We have always wanted to have to make difficult choices and that is what we have now. Everyone has to follow that example, including those players on the bench.

“All the hype about Liverpool and selling tickets for the game is perfectly understandable, but the lads will be fully focused on the three games beforehand. They know what is at stake.

“Everyone wants their name to be on the team-sheet at Anfield. So in the Christmas and New Year period, if they don’t put in the performances we expect then there could be changes.”

Taggart has a target in mind — not for public consumption — across the next three matches so Athletic can go into their big FA Cup tie with the spur of a significantly boosted league position.

“Confidence in the camp is high at the moment and so it is important for us that results come from that,” added the 41-year-old.

“Over the past five or six weeks, we have achieved a level of consistency in performances for probably the first time this season. The statistics show that — we have only lost twice in the past 13 fixtures.

“We are now faced with two games at home and one away.

“There is a points total we are targeting from these games. If we achieve it, it will mean we are right up among it. The danger is that there are always some strange results at this time in the season. It is the same every single year.”

Athletic will make checks across the weekend on the fitness of their injured defenders.

Paul Black (groin) is likely to return, while there is also a chance that Kieran Lee (ankle) might make it.

Jean-Yves Mvoto (hamstring) has missed the last two matches, while James Tarkowski and Carl Winchester took knocks in the reserves this week.