No more Mr Nice Guy

MATT Smith has vowed to tap into his nasty side in a bid to earn a regular place in Athletic’s side.

The 6ft 5in target man was farmed out on loan to Macclesfield at the end of last season, where he scored once injury curtailed his stint at Moss Rose.

With Reuben Reid already gone and fellow forwards Shefki Kuqi and Robbie Simpson yet to commit to the club, Smith has set his sights on establishing himself as one of boss Paul Dickov’s regulars by banishing his nice guy image.

Smith, who scored three league goals for Athletic in the 2011-12 campaign, said: “I am the first to admit I missed far too many chances for Latics last season.

“I know where I went wrong. I need to be a lot more ruthless in front of goal and get a bit nastier in a good way. I am entering the last 12 months of my contract and it is down to me to improve and score more goals.

With plenty of transfer business still to be done, Dickov's squad has yet to take shape. But the Scot’s presence alone is enough to fill Smith with confidence.

He continued: “We have a top-class manager. There aren’t many out there who could do as well as he has done on the limited budget we have. Everyone in the camp respects him and learns from him every day in training.”




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