So much now at stake

NO WAY THROUGH . . . Robbie Simpson looks to break Athletic’s goalless streak at Hillsborough yesterday.

“ABSOLUTELY massive” is how Athletic manager Paul Dickov chose to describe his team’s final four games of the season.

A 3-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday added to a single-goal defeat at home to Charlton two days earlier, completed a miserable Easter weekend.

Athletic have now lost five games on the trot and nine of the last 11, failing to score in more than eight hours of football.

The next fixture is against fourth-bottom Wycombe at Adams Park on Saturday. If Athletic are to avoid getting dragged into a real relegation scrap, a win is a must.

Wycombe lost 4-0 at Chesterfield yesterday.

“We need to be more of a threat,” siad Dickov.

“For all our good play between the boxes (against Wednesday), we had balls flashing across goal and we were not quite hitting the target.

“Whether we have to scrap our way through it or play our football, we have to go to Wycombe and try to win the game.



::GLENN Belezika, the young centre-back who came on for injured James Tarkowski late on at Hillsborough, is the only second-year scholar to be offered a professional contract for next season.

Dale Connor, Sam Fitzgerald, Alex Parkes, Ryan Burns, Jack Laird, Kyle Riley and Danny Bell have all been released.

::JOSH Parker has extended his loan at Dagenham until the end of the season.

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