FA Cup shock inspired Furman

BACK IN A LATICS SHIRT: Dean Furman could make his return to the starting line-up tomorrow.

DEAN Furman had an inkling at half-time in his international game that Athletic had pulled off a huge FA Cup shock against Liverpool.

The player used it as inspiration as his national team turned around a half-time deficit to draw 2-2 against Morocco and qualify for the last eight of the African Cup of Nations.

“It was unbelievable,” said Furman, who returned to Latics training yesterday.

“One of the boys told me ‘your boys have done the business’.

“When I came in after the game and we were celebrating because we had qualified, to find out it was 3-2 was brilliant.

“The reaction over there was amazing as well. There are a lot of Liverpool fans out there and with everyone knowing I play for Oldham, it put the place on the map.”

Had it not been for his side’s quarter-final exit against Mali on Saturday, Furman could still be away

“It had been a good tournament. Mali are one of the best teams in Africa but we really took the game to them and felt we could have been a couple of goals up.

“We knew they would come back in the second half. They got an equaliser and then both teams were hanging on until penalties.

“It was a sickening way to go out.”

With Paul Dickov gone as manager and with new players on board in Paul Murray, Jordan Obita, Chris Iwelumo and Lee Barnard, Furman hopes Athletic can quickly get stuck into the final third of the season.

“We want Boundary Park to be a very difficult place for teams to come and we want to start picking up maximum points here.”