Fire in the belly

FLASHPOINT: Keanu Marsh-Brown is involved in a melee against Scunthorpe, which eventually saw the player receive his marching orders for a two-footed tackle seconds earlier.

Morais makes promise to fans

ATHLETIC fans have been promised that to a man, the players will put everything they can into the derby clash against Rochdale.

The hammer-blow of conceding a late goal at Stevenage dropped the club to 14th place in the npower League One rankings.

It was a third defeat in a row, a sequence which immediately and disappointingly followed the thrilling 3-2 comeback win at Sheffield United.

With a dozen games to go until the end of the season, hopes of reaching the top-six are a memory and a couple of further victories should provide insurance against a bottom-four finish.

While that may indicate that the campaign is in danger of petering out, though, for winger Filipe Morais — one of a host of players as-yet without a contract for next season — there remains plenty of fire in the belly to fuel a big effort at Spotland on Saturday.

“Most games in League One are a battle,” Morais said.

“Rochdale is a derby and we have to give everything for our club. I am sure every player here will do that.

“There is no lack of desire and there wasn’t against Stevenage. Everyone wanted it.

“It is fine lines. We have to make sure that right up to the fifth minute of injury time, we are concentrating on not giving anything away.

“We have players who can open teams up, so we have to make sure the back door is shut.”

Striker Matt Smith, whose current deal takes in next season, has departed on loan to League Two club Macclesfield for the rest of the campaign.

The 22-year-old is likely to make his Silkmen debut this weekend in a relegation battle at Dagenham, current home of another Athletic loan forward Josh Parker.

Smith, who has made 31 of his 35 appearances for Athletic this season off the substitutes’ bench, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to get some games.”

With Ryan Brooke out on loan at Telford for the remainder of the season, it leaves Athletic with only two ready and available front-line strikers in Reuben Reid and Shefki Kuqi, though Robbie Simpson (broken toe) could yet make a return in some form at Rochdale.

When it comes to goals, Morais reckons Kuqi’s well-documented struggles will soon draw to a close.

“Shefki nearly nicked one at the end at Stevenage after a great through ball from Youssouf (Mchangama),” he said. “He keeps going right to the death, never gives up and the goals will come for him, there is no doubt about that.

“The players need to give more in terms of goals being spread around the team. We have players who can do it.

“Reuben Reid isn’t fully fit yet but I am sure we will see him scoring soon.

“We have to keep shooting. And if you stop believing, you have a problem.”