Upbeat chairman backs squad to fire

AT least five places higher in the table and with a Wembley final in the bag: that is the goal for Athletic in the coming weeks, as set by chairman Simon Corney.

The disappointing — but not quite destructive — defeat at Chesterfield means that a win on Monday week is needed for the club to make it through to a lucrative Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final showpiece.

More pressing is the matter of the club’s poor league form. Exeter are at Boundary Park tomorrow (3pm kick-off) and Corney feels that the current squad has more than enough quality to improve without the need for further additions.

“I spoke to Paul (Dickov) after the Chesterfield game and he said there is no danger of the league season being forgotten about,” said Corney, who has today appointed Neil Joy as the club’s new chief executive. See other story.

“We are in 17th place and I believe we have plenty about us to stay up, but you do not want to keep losing games.

“Everyone is scrambling for points. There are no easy games in this division and before you know it, the danger is you could find yourselves four, three, two points outside the relegation zone.

“We are focused and looking for a reaction from the players.

“This current squad should be good enough to be comfortably in the top half of this division and to make it to the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

“If we had five or six injuries it would be different. We have Reuben Reid coming back soon and Dean Furman too, so what more do we need?”

While hopes of reaching the play-offs have been replaced by more fearful glances towards the bottom of npower League One, Corney believes that it is crucial Athletic approach upcoming matches with a positive mindset.

“I think we will be fine, I really do,” he added, as Athletic bid to improve on a run of two wins in 11 league fixtures, both at Boundary Park.

“But we need to get that winning mentality back because when you break it down, it is a little bit deceptive.

“We are having a great season in some respects — but we haven’t won many recently.”

Striker Reid is likely to take a place on the substitutes’ bench tomorrow, having played for an hour in the midweek 3-0 loss by the reserves at Macclesfield.

Dean Furman’s knee injury was being assessed today.

Athletic (probable): Cisak; Parker, Tarkowski, Mvoto, Lee; Taylor, Wesolowski, Adeyemi, Scapuzzi; Simpson, Kuqi.



ATHLETIC'S clash at Stevenage has been rearranged to take place on Tuesday, February 7 (7.45pm).



FORMER Athletic forward Deane Smalley has joined Bradford City on loan from Oxford until the end of the season.