Croft fighting fit after weight loss

LEE Croft is Athletic’s man of the moment. Fighting fit after losing seven kilos and in the middle of a purple patch of form, the winger who made his Boundary Park move permanent on deadline day admits things could hardly be going better.

In both recent FA Cup ties and league games against MK Dons and Stevenage, the former Manchester City wide man played a starring role.

Whether his delivery for Jordan Obita’s opening goal in the Toffees tie at the weekend was a cross

disguised as a shot or a shot disguised as a cross is irrelevant: it worked. And at Stevenage, his hard work helped the team to a huge extent.

“I am really enjoying my football at the moment,” admitted Croft, who has been put on a new fitness regime by Tony Philliskirk’s current right-hand man Paul Gerrard. “I feel good and I feel fit.

“Things are going well for me and it has coincided with the team doing well, which helps.

“I am trying to give myself every chance. Hopefully, it is showing on the pitch.”




Didier hear what they are saying about me?



ATHLETIC’S FA Cup hero, Matt Smith, admits he is flattered by comparisons to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.



Smith’s last-gasp equaliser against Everton followed his two goals against Liverpool in the previous round, leading Reds boss Brendan Rogers to call his battering-ram display “Drogba-esque”.

After his latest exploits, Smith was again mentioned in the same breath as the Ivory Coast veteran.

“Brendan Rogers is a top-class manager, so for someone like him to compare me to a legend like Drogba is extremely flattering,” said Smith.

“I grew up watching him win all those trophies and as I have come from a relatively-humble football background at university and non-league, I never thought I would be mentioned in the same sentence as him.”