Wembley goal for Latics

ATHLETIC striker Robbie Simpson has acquired the taste for the huge occasion.

The scorer of a sensational goal which gave his side a shock lead at Anfield in the FA Cup third-round defeat on Friday, on-loan Simpson believes that if the team maintains the sort of form which gave Liverpool a big first-half fright, a place at Wembley will follow.

Simpson’s parent club Huddersfield play host to Athletic on Saturday — the 26-year-old won’t be allowed to feature in that one — and that is followed three days later by the first leg of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Northern final at Chesterfield.

“There are some very big games coming up for us,” said Simpson, whose produced his memorable strike in front of an appreciative Kop.

“First there is Huddersfield and then Chesterfield in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

“We want to give the fans, who were fantastic, another big day out at Wembley.

“We know that if we go about things the right way, we can do it.

“We haven’t got to let the Liverpool result get us down. We can be proud of our performance, keep working hard to improve.”

Athletic were today hoping to complete paperwork which will see Simpson become a permanent Athletic signing up to the end of the current season.

However, an agreement is understood to be in place that he can’t turn out at the Galpharm Stadium.

On the same night Athletic took on Liverpool, Huddersfield destroyed Wycombe 6-0 at Adams Park in an npower League One clash.

The game featured an amazing individual scoring feat, while the result pushes Lee Clark's men up to third in the table.

“They won very well at Wycombe and Jordan (Rhodes) scored five,” Simpson added.

“Nobody can stop him at the moment — but if we manage it, I think we can win the game.”

Huddersfield Town defender Nathan Clarke was on the sidelines watching Athletic at Anfield.

Athletic had tried to bring him back to the club on an emergency loan before the Liverpool tie — to the extent that he was initially named in the official 20-man squad on the day of the game — but the deal floundered, with the problem understood to be that the player’s agent is looking for a loan stretching to the end of the campaign.

Any agreement that can be struck won’t happen this week, as the centre-back would not be allowed to feature against his parent club — as was the case when the teams met at Boundary Park earlier this season.

Athletic manager Paul Dickov, meanwhile, hopes that the 6,000-plus fans who supported the team so loudly at Anfield will be enticed along to future matches.

“I hope they see what we are trying to do,” Dickov said.

“We want to have a go. The boys work their socks off and are playing good football, too.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the fans. It is not very often 6,000 out-sing 39,000 but they did that for the majority of the game.

“There are loads of positives to take out of the tie and there is no disgrace in losing.”

STEVENAGE’S surprise 1-0 win at Reading in their third-round FA Cup tie means a change of date for Athletic’s visit to Broadhall Way.

The game was due to be played on Saturday, January 28, but that weekend is designated for Stevenage’s home tie against Notts County in the fourth round.

No new date for Athletic's visit has yet been set.