I’m so proud of my lads, says Dickov

THE whirl of the police helicopter’s blades overhead signalled that somewhere in Sheffield, a crime may have taken place on Saturday afternoon.

Supporters of the Bramall Lane outfit felt that their side were robbed of victory.

Griping at referee Jon Moss’s decisions, Blades fans were upset at what they saw as a sudden smash and grab raid. Those of an Athletic persuasion felt differently.

Paul Dickov, in particular, was keen to point out that the stunning 3-2 victory – undoubtedly his finest in management – was down to his side’s continuing desire to fight fire with fire.

“What a great performance and three points,” said a jubilant Dickov afterwards, the victory representing a third win in the last five matches and a first away from Boundary Park in the league since September.

“Regardless of them being down to 10 men, or nine at the end, we deserved it.

“I was disappointed at half-time because I didn’t think there was a lot in the game. Two individual errors cost us.

“We stressed to the boys at half-time how important the next goal was. If you get back to 2-1, we know ourselves what it is like at home. You can get a bit edgy and the crowd can, too.

“All credit has to go to the players. A few of them were dead on their feet by the end. I am really proud of them.”

In aiding the cause of the forwards, Dickov handed praise to on-loan debutant Reece Brown, who added sturdy presence to the base of what was initially a five-man midfield.

“When we were under pressure, he (Brown) kept the ball very well,” Dickov added. “He kept things ticking over and on his debut, to come to a place like Bramall Lane and play as he did, is top-class.

“We felt at 2-0 down we wanted to have a go at them with Keanu’s (Marsh-Brown) pace and trickery and he caused them a lot of problems.

“We could have waited until 10 to 15 minutes into the second half, but we felt it was the right time to do it.

“It was good to see Reuben (Reid) back on the pitch. He is not fully fit and everyone can see that, but he is a threat.

“If he hadn’t been brought down (for the penalty) he would have scored anyway.”