Centre of attention

LONG-TERM planning is on the back burner for Athletic’s temporary management team.


The bonus of a lucrative FA Cup fifth-round tie against Everton in eight days lies on the horizon, but the focus now is on MK Dons tomorrow.

Nobody appreciates the gravity of the situation better than Tony Philliskirk, whose 15 years at Athletic have seen the club enjoy an unbroken run in League One.

The stand-in manager has never experienced relegation. His right-hand man, Paul Gerrard, is also doing everything he can on the training field to give the club the best chance of climbing their way out of the bottom-four.

“If you start looking ahead to next week or the week after then you can get caught out,” said Gerrard.

“It is a cliché to say each game is a cup final, but if you get in that mindset, you treat each game on its merits.

“We are capable of going on a run and winning three or four in a row. Why not?

Philliskirk says he doesn’t care how the wins arrive, as long as they do: “If we play to an average level on Saturday and scrape a 1-0 win, I will be delighted.

“If we play superbly and have people patting us on the back for it while losing 2-1 — well, I know which I would rather have.” he said.