Weary Latics waste big chance

IT’S THERE! Keanu Marsh-Brown wheels away in delight after putting Athletic in front.

TIRING Athletic passed up the chance to move into the top half of npower League One, leaving manager Paul Dickov a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

A squad ravaged by injuries was shaken further with the pre-match loss to illness of key player Chris Taylor; the starting line-up against Colchester featured four teenagers.

But a first goal for the club by 19-year-old winger Keanu Marsh-Brown — only in the side due to Taylor’s absence — handed Athletic a first-half lead they held on to until Anthony Wordsworth’s equaliser nine minutes from full-time.

By then, Marsh-Brown had been withdrawn and Athletic had, as a whole, completely lost their way.

“The kid was knackered,” said Dickov, explaining the substitution after 69 minutes which saw striker Matt Smith replace the former Fulham prospect.

“You look at David (Mellor), Carl (Winchester), Keanu and even Robbie (Simpson) with his (restricted) training, they have not had a lot of football in them.

“We knew with a couple of young lads in the team they might have tired a little bit. But we haven’t got a lot to change it with at the moment.

“It happened. When you do get tired, that is when you have to really switch on and do the basic things right.

“We caused them a lot of problems sliding little balls in behind them but for one reason or another, seemed to stop doing that.

“They started doing it to us and created a bit of pressure, but I thought we coped. Then we conceded a free header, which isn’t good enough. We created the better chances. They had little phases, but everything was in front of us and we were quite disciplined.

“It was the same old story. We took too many touches in the middle of the park, conceded a free-kick and didn’t pick up the man in the box. When you are 1–0 ahead, you have to have the same discipline we showed on Saturday (against Tranmere).”

Instead of finding themselves in 12th, Athletic moved up just one place the table to 15th ahead of the daunting task of taking on promotion-hunting Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

Captain Dean Furman will again be missing for that game, with Dickov stating it is “going to be a minimum of a week, (or) possibly two before we have him back”, leaving the task of bouncing back from the disappointment of two lost points to the same players.

That includes Simpson, who is unable to train properly at present due to tight hamstrings.

“We have a young team and have to learn from our mistakes. We have a big game on Saturday to look forward to now,” added the manager.

“It is a fantastic stage to play on, so we dust ourselves down, go again and enjoy the occasion.”